


Big Sky Country: Moonshine AU Chapters

by Polkadotdotdot



Category: Far Cry (Video Games), Far Cry 5, Far Cry Absolution - Urban Waite
Genre: ABO Chapter, Deputy Rhiannon Rey Jackson, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Gun Violence, John seed - Freeform, Moonshine universe, OC deputy, alternative universe
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-16
Updated: 2020-11-14
Packaged: 2021-03-03 21:14:34
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 30,141
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24752206
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Polkadotdotdot/pseuds/Polkadotdotdot
Summary: Alternative Universe chapters for Deputy Rey Jackson and John Seed from the "Moonshine" universe.
Relationships: Female Deputy | Judge/John Seed
Comments: 10
Kudos: 43





	1. Confess (Part 1)

**Author's Note:**

> So! I've moved all my AU chapters into one story so that Moonshine remains strictly Rey's canon :)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey decides she needs to get something off her chest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Confession AU** Rey and John have been seeing each other briefly when she decides she wants to confess.

Her hands were shaking.

Rey grasped her radio with white knuckles, her thumb hovering over the call button. She’d weighed up all her options, spent days in isolation searching the remains of her soul for an answer and finally, she’d come to a conclusion she had never expected.

Taking a deep breath, Rey pressed the button.

“John?”

A beat of silence was broken by his smooth voice. She was hesitant to use the term ‘relationship’, but since establishing whatever they were, John’s behaviour had slowly shifted. His tone softened, his eyes less wary around her, the space between his brows less pinched. 

Others had noticed too. This began the rumours about the deputy and the herald among Eden’s Gate. It’s how she found herself in the situation that led her down this path.

“Deputy, I was beginning to think you were avoiding me.”

An edge lay below his lighthearted tease. It had been days since she’d last been in contact with him. Considering they spent every other night together and spoke almost daily, for her to suddenly stop all communication was definitely a sign that something was amiss.

“I think we both know I couldn’t do that for long.” She forced levity, feeling her heartbeat in her throat as she prepared to speak again, “I have something I need to talk to you about, something to tell you.”

She could picture the intrigue on his face, how an eyebrow would raise, how his eyes would narrow.

“I...I’m ready to say yes.” She said clearly, trying to prevent her voice from shaking, “I’m going to confess.”

Silence followed. Anxiety churned in her gut, threatening to bring bile to the back of her throat as she waited for his response. 

Her lack of willingness was always the proverbial elephant in the room. He would try to preach to her, to convince her to at least try and each time Rey would say no. Her belief in God was very different from his.

At least it used to be.

“Why?”

The distrust in his single word question didn’t surprise her. Considering how adamant she had been before and especially now, her sudden change of heart had to be for a reason. John was a lawyer and well-practised in his own deceptions. He wasn’t stupid.

“Because I’ve done something that...that I don’t know how to reconcile.” She whispered, “And I think you’re the only one who can help me.” 

Silence followed again. Her eyes began to sting, pressure building as she fought back tears. What if he didn’t believe her? If he thought she was trying to scam him for the good of the resistance, despite their bond. Hadn’t she proven to him, more than once, that she didn’t want to hurt him? 

“Come to my ranch in one hour.”

Rey breathed a sigh of relief, her body almost deflating, releasing the tension she’d been holding. He had sounded...excited? Stern? Aroused? His tone was almost impossible to discern without being able to see his face but there was no backing out now.

If she didn’t do as he said, they would be over. Unwilling to make that sacrifice, Rey grabbed her things.

It was time to keep her word.

00000

Her anxiety hadn’t lessened on her journey to John’s ranch. Every breath she took struggled to fill her lungs, her stomach tied in uncomfortable knots, but it was all nothing compared to the pressure she’d been feeling for days. She needed to be free of her invisible bonds, to get it all off her chest.

Entering the house, she found it bathed in darkness except for the glow of the lit fireplace. Warm air made breathing all the more difficult, her skin tingling with anticipation.

“There she is. I’ll be honest, I wasn’t entirely sure you would come.” John was making his way down the stairs towards her.

Some of her worries dissipated finally seeing his face. He wasn’t angry. If anything, he looked elated. Coming to her, he gently held her face, kissing her with enthusiasm that took her breath away. She was dazed when they separated, John looking like an excited child on Christmas morning.

“You are not going to regret this.” He smiled, bopping her forehead with his own, “I promise.”

God, she hoped he was right.

Holding her hand, he led her up towards his bedroom.

“What? No bunker?” Rey joked awkwardly. 

As they approached the double doors to the room, John abruptly stopped, turning to her with incredulous eyes.

“Bunker? Who do you think you are to me?” he asked, the softness in his voice edged with desire. She shuddered, leaning into his touch as he caressed her face, “Darling, you’re not just another sinner, you’ve come to me willingly...and this is a special occasion!”

In a strange way, it was nice to see him so excited, but she wondered how long this carefree behaviour would last when she bared her soul to him. He opened the doors, his bedroom bathed in the same warm glow of the living room. There was no overhead light, the room illuminated only by candles that lined the sides of the room. 

Some may have called it romantic if it wasn’t for the ornate mahogany chair sitting in the middle of the room just in front of the bed, the familiar tattoo machine next to it. Rey gulped, shuddering when she felt John’s fingers on the back of her neck.

“Don’t be afraid.” He whispered softly, pressing a kiss to the soft skin below her ear, “You’re here because you need to be. It’s much easier when you don’t resist. Take a seat, and we’ll begin.”

Taking off her jacket, she cautiously sat down in the chair, the plush leather upholstery of the seat far more comfortable than being tied to an office chair like so many people had been. She watched him intently as he moved around the room, closing and locking the bedroom door before removing his waistcoat, leaving him only in his dark jeans and open-necked shirt. 

Next to her, the tattoo machine rumbled ominously, ready for the moment he would mark her. Her hands gripped the armrest tightly, her nerves evident. 

“Rey Jackson, you are here today to confess your sins in the name of the Father.” He stated clearly, the authority in his tone sending a shudder through her limbs, her body clenching with need. “Will you willingly admit your sins and atone so that you may be born anew?”

The way he was looking at her certainly wasn’t helping her conflict. Guilt was tearing her to pieces but it was clear John had imagined this before. She was giving him a fantasy come to life. His eyes burned, roaming her body where she sat, every word he spoke laden with want.

“Yes.”

He sucked in a breath through his teeth, smiling triumphantly as he began to circle her chair. His fingers grazed her gently, trailing across her shoulders and stroking the long hair by her neck.

“Go on, Rey.” He commanded.

She wanted to savour his approval and lock away the memory of how he looked at her with desire, perhaps even tenderness because she was sure when she spoke everything would change.

“I...I killed someone.” she whispered, her eyes unfocused to the floor, “I know, I’ve killed a lot of people but...this was different.”

“How?” he pressed, watching her like a predator. 

Rey squirmed in her seat, closing her eyes tightly. She could still see the woman’s face, her lifeless eyes staring back up at her from the floor of the forest.

“She attacked me first, and if I didn’t...I wouldn’t be here but it was more than just self-defence. I...I wanted her to die!”

“Wrath.” John breathed, kneeling down in front of her to meet her eyes, his own blues shining in the ambient glow like a demon, “Why did you want her to die?”

Rey’s eyes suddenly focused, lifting her gaze from the floor to meet his.

“Because of you.”

He blinked at her, head tilting curiously, but he said nothing. His silence only spurred her on.

“Holly Pepper attacked me because of what we are.” Rey elaborated.

A strange calm began to overtake her, feeling lighter than she had in days as she finally broke, tears spilling over her lashes as she told her truth. Even if she wanted to, Rey was certain there was no stopping now she had begun. The dam was broken, and hell mend anything that was in the way of the water.

“She found me. She told me that you had made her promises and that I didn’t deserve you.” she choked, gasping to take a breath, “It wasn’t just self-defence. I could have subdued her, just left her there for your people...but I didn’t. When she said your name, how you’d been with her, how I didn’t deserve you...I saw red. I couldn’t stop myself. I...I didn’t even realize what I’d done until I was washing the blood from my hands.”

John stood, his expression unreadable as he leaned closer, a hand sliding up her neck to fist her hair with just enough pressure to pull her head back.

“How did you do it?” he asked roughly, “Tell me.”

“I can’t…” she rasped, trying to shake her head against his grip. 

He tightened his fist, but encouragement shone in his eyes.

“You can. I know you can. Confess.”

She took a shaky breath to steady herself, boldly meeting his eyes.

“I smashed her head with a rock.” She declared, tears still streaming down her face. “Because I hated knowing she’d been with you.”

And like that, the truth had been spoken. Envy and wrath had combined to turn her into a monster and he was the only one she could turn to, the only person who might understand. 

But she hadn’t killed just anyone. Holly had been someone to him, or so the woman had claimed.

Any minute now he was going to sneer at her. He’d look at her with disgust, cast her aside and whatever connection they’d forged would be destroyed through her own actions. It was no more than she deserved. 

John was smiling. 

The sting of her hair being pulled lessened as his grip released, stroking the back of her head. He cupped her face, brushing away her tears with the pad of his thumbs. 

“My beautiful little sinner.” He crooned, his hands reaching to push her shirt off her shoulders, leaving her in only her white tank, “Envy and wrath do tend to go hand in hand, one following the other.”

Rey was bewildered, unsure what to say or do while John spoke with such an oddly reverent manner. 

“Joseph was right when he said you were not brought here by accident.” He smiled, grasping the front of her vest.

In one sharp tug, the thread gave way, John gleefully ripping the garment from her body, leaving her only in her bra and jeans. He picked up the tattoo pen, readying the needle with black ink.

“I knew if I was patient, eventually you would come to me. Holly, was simply a vessel, a situation that would make you realize the depths of your feelings and show you the way in joining us...in joining me.” He continued.

The needle dug into the skin of her chest, just below her collarbone with sharp burning pain. John was no practised artist, pressing down with more pressure than necessary. She grit her teeth, squeezing her eyes closed to embrace the sting.

This was what she deserved. It was more than a need to confess her transgressions. Pastor Jerome would have listened to her without judgment, offered her forgiveness and an excuse to send her on her way. 

But that wouldn’t have eased her torture. She needed more than forgiveness, she craved punishment. What had John told her? She’d swim across an ocean of pain and emerge free?

At the time she had assumed him crazy.

But now? Now, her mind was clearing, the weight she felt crushed under was lifting. The pain combined with his touch, his scent and the way he was looking at her was turning into something else entirely.

“You will wear these sins as a mark of your confession.” He breathed in awe, sitting back to inspect the mark of ‘Wrath’ he had left on her. 

Holding the back of her head, he leaned into her ear.

“You’re doing so well.” He whispered, the warmth of his breath sending a shock down her spine, hitting her core, “I know you can take more.”

She gasped when he started a second tattoo, etching ‘Envy’ under the opposite collarbone. The pain was just as great as the first time, John’s eyes shining in wonder when he finally stepped back to appraise his completed work.

Exhausted, her long hair messy from his hands, her eyes red from crying her confession with sins freshly scratched for the world to know. John had never seen a more beautiful sight.

“And now, my darling, you will atone for these sins, and more.” He said, holding her hand to bring her to standing, leading her to the bed, “I know another sin that drives you. I know it intimately. Strip.”

Worrying her bottom lip with her teeth, Rey tried to control her breathing as she did what she was asked. John, in turn, removed his shirt, the scales of justice tattoo on his scarred torso making her mouth water. 

Somehow, the route he was taking her confession didn’t feel like much of a punishment. 

“Envy and wrath certainly played their parts but you’re forgetting the sin that started all of this.” He purred, pushing her back onto the mattress of the bed, only his jeans remaining, “Lust.”

The mattress dipped with his weight, pushing her legs apart as he straddled one of her thighs. He licked his lip, fingers gently ghosting over her inner thigh.

“And lust is something I am just as guilty of.” 

She was already soaked, gasping as he ran a single digital slowly through her folds, watching her reaction with a smile that was anything but holy.

“So sensitive already, so driven by impure thoughts.” He tutted, though his smile remained and she could hear he was anything but disappointed. 

The circles he made around her clit were lazy, slow drags, her cunt clenching desperately around nothing. Rey whimpered, biting her lip to stifle her moans.

“You can be as loud as you like, nobody will hear you.” He promised, staring at her writhing body hungrily.

He picked up the pace, circling with perfect pressure that had her dizzy. The fresh tattoos still ached on her skin, her back arching as she fisted the pristine sheets, a particularly loud moan escaping as she neared the edge.

He withdrew his hand.

Her eyes opened to see him smiling down at her smugly, licking her juices from his finger. The pleasure he’d built began to ebb, leaving her with nothing but burning desire.

Lust 

“This is atonement, Rey.” He reminded her, “Atonement without pain, without suffering, isn’t real. Do you believe you deserve release?”

She was speechless, unable to articulate anything other than babbled pleas as he teased her with featherlight touches, moving at a torturously slow pace, the pressure in her building all over again. John delighted in his work, watching how she tilted her hips towards his hand, chasing whatever pleasure he gave her.

The noises she made bordered on feral, tears of frustration running from the corners of her eyes as he built her up only to cruelly bring her back from the precipice at the last moment. He was lying by her side now, a leg still pinning her own down as he continued to tease her.

“Do you want to cum?” he asked, Rey frantically nodding her head. John pressed a kiss to her tear-soaked temple, “Then do you, Rey Jackson, accept your place at my side, under the guidance of The Father, with Eden’s Gate?”

His words were softer, almost like he was pleading with her. It was too late for her, there was no going back. 

“You know what you need to say,” he whispered, another kiss pressed against her ear, his fingers picking up pace again, racing her towards the edge. 

Every muscle in her torso was coiling tighter and tighter like a spring ready to burst. The heady mix of pleasure and pain, the sound of his voice, his scent, his touch all more potent that any hit of bliss imaginable.

“Yes.” she whined, “God, Yes!”

White flashed behind her closed eyes. Every muscle in her body trembled, wave after wave of heat passing through her. Her hand gripped his thigh, nails digging into his jeans, using him as an anchor against the intense pleasure. 

The whole time he worked her through it, his voice laden with his own desire praising her the whole time.

“So good, Rey. You’re so good for me.” he purred, finally pulling back to stroke her hip as she came down from her high, gasping for breath and trying to get her bearings.

“I’m so proud of you.” he crooned, sitting up to unbuckle his belt. 

He made quick work of his jeans, almost sighing at the release of pressure on his cock. She was smiling at him lazily as he crawled up her body, catching her lips with a heated kiss, swallowing her gasp as he ground against her heat.

“I have a confession of my own.” he whispered softly against her lips, “I knew that you killed Holly and you know what? I wouldn’t hesitate to kill for you. I love you.”

The conviction of his words, spoken as he stretched her, pushing to the hilt as his gaze held her own. Starting off slow, he drew a sensitive groan from them both, rolling his hips and feeling her fingers dig into the meat of his back.

“You’re mine and I’m yours. I’ll never let anyone take you from me.”

They clung to each other, bruising and biting, marking the other for everyone to see. He wasn’t going to last as long as he’d like, his own release building quickly having watched her for so long. He delighted in every sound he drew from her, feeling her tighten around him with every stroke.

He fought to keep his eyes open, desperate to see her fall apart under his touch again. He sat back on his knees, working her raw as his hand frantically circled her already sensitive clit. The tight ball of tension exploded through her body, her cries echoing off the walls as she shook. A final sharp thrust and he followed with his own rumbling cry. 

Both breathing heavily, John rolled to the side, leaning on one arm to hover over her. He stroked her face, smiling with relief when she blinked up at him with dozy, warm eyes. 

“Is that how every confession is supposed to go?” She mumbled quietly.

She felt boneless, like a wet washcloth that had been thoroughly rung out. John grinned, bending down to kiss her sweetly.

“Definitely not.” He confirmed, “Remember, I said you were special. How do you feel?”

Rey cast her eyes to the ceiling in thought. She was exhausted, physically, emotionally, but also strangely elated. Their relationship was...unconventional, to say the least, but he loved her. He loved her and she had taken the leap of faith. 

“Free.” 

The smile he gave her was incandescent, his hands stroking her face and hair, gazing at her like she’d given him the sun.

“And tired.” She finished with a yawn, her eyes growing heavy. 

“Sleep, my darling.” He commanded softly, “Sleep.”

Her eyes closed. It was the most peaceful she had felt in years.


	2. Conflict (Part 2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After her confession, Rey begins to doubt her choice to join John's side at Eden's Gate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Confession AU**

Everything was soft.

That was the first thing Rey noticed when she began to stir. Everything around her was soft, warm and comforting. She sighed with contentment, her head still foggy with sleep. Turning her face closer towards the pillow, she was met with the divine smell of fresh sheets. 

She shifted slightly, her body sinking into the plush mattress. Finally opening her eyes, Rey remembered exactly where she was. His bedroom looked different from the night before. The unlit candles remained, melted to short stumps but the chair and tattoo gun were gone.

Early morning light streamed in through the skylight and large balcony windows. Somewhere out in the trees, the birds had begun their song.

Rey blushed, her face heating with the memories. Her tearful confession, John’s teasing that had her body singing for him and most of all, the fact she had finally said yes. 

She took a deep breath. Having confessed what she’d done, the guilt that had plagued her felt lifted. Whether that was because she’d had a good night's sleep or good fucking remained to be seen, but it was hard to care when she felt so relaxed and safe.

_Congratulations Jackson, you’ve sold your soul for a memory foam mattress…_

She scowled, pushing aside the little voice in her head for a far more pleasant thought. 

He had told her he loved her. 

It wasn’t exactly a fairytale and he was hardly a prince, but she was tired of fighting her feelings, tired of fighting full stop. She hadn’t allowed herself to just be happy for so long. If this was how she found it, so be it. 

She pushed herself out of bed, dragging the top sheet with her to cover her naked body. To her left was a large master bathroom. She grinned spying the waterfall shower.

On the counter of the bathroom was a stack of fresh towels. She dropped the sheet, tiptoeing her way to turn on the water, catching a glimpse of her nobody in the nearby full-length mirror.

Her sins, engraved on her flesh for all to see. Wrath and envy radiated beneath each collarbone while lust was inscribed at an angle, down the front left of her hip, the word still angry and red above the bone. She hadn’t even felt him put that there.

But she found she didn’t _completely_ hate them.

_How strange…_

The pressure and heat of the water combined to create the most luxurious shower she’d taken in a long time, rinsing herself clean of the blood, sweat, and sex of the night before. 

Stepping out the shower, she scrambled to find items of clothing she could wear, reminding herself that she would somehow need to retrieve some clothes...which would mean having to return to Falls End...

_One thing at a time, Jackson._

First thing was first, she had to find John. Insecurity began to take root, tightening her chest like a slow vice. She’d given him what he wanted and woke up alone. What if he was now going to cast her aside, dismiss her as easily as he had Holly? 

Her fears were soothed when she made her way to the kitchen. John was standing by the breakfast bar, a cup of coffee in his hand and a newspaper in front of him. 

She stopped in the doorframe, shyly taking in the scene. It was like she was seeing him for the first time. The man who she’d witnessed to his elbows in blood, who had tortured and drowned, standing there in a navy sweater simply reading the paper.

It was so _domestic._

Sensing eyes on him, John looked up, putting down his coffee with a smile.

“Good morning, beautiful.” He crooned, drawing her into his arms, “I didn’t want to wake you.”

“Morning.” She greeted, slightly breathless at the sight of him. 

His hair wasn’t quite as polished as usual, a portion falling down by the side of his face as he bent forward to kiss her with an intensity that made her toes curl. With a tentative hand, she pushed it back for him.

“How did you feel? Did you sleep well?” He asked, anxiety tinting his words.

He was watching her carefully like he didn’t believe she was really there. Not that Rey could blame him. Her reluctance had been great and she could scarcely believe her decision herself.

“I feel...great.” She smiled, “I mean it. Do, um...do you feel alright?” 

“Alright? Rey, you have no idea how much I have wanted this!” He insisted, “But you’re here. Really, _finally_ here!”

The sheer happiness on his face, in his voice, threatened to overwhelm her. When was the last time anyone had been so happy to see her, _just_ her? Without the added caveat of her being useful to them or performing yet another errand.

“What happens now?” She asked cautiously. 

John blinked at with surprise, casting his eyes upward in a manner than insinuated he hadn’t really thought this far.

“First of all, we need to get you moved in properly.” He said, thinking practically, “Clothes, any other belongings, we can get those. At some point soon, you’ll need to see Joseph too.”

Rey nodded. She assumed that point would be non-negotiable. Joseph was an intense individual, his stare unrelenting and he creeped her out more than was fair to say. 

“You’ll be baptized...properly.” He added sheepishly, “And obviously we’ll be getting married…”

“Whoa, wait, what?!” Rey spluttered, staring at him like he’d grown a second head.

John smiled patiently.

“Don’t panic, darling. It’s not all happening _today_ ,” he pointed out, “We’ve got time.”

“No, I mean, you want to get _married?!_ ” 

John looked confused.

“Yes, of course.” He started obviously, “God brought us together for a purpose, he brought you to me...why wouldn’t we get married?”

A sick sense of realization began to set it. Of course, he expected this, and really, marriage was the least of her concerns. 

There was no leaving now she had said yes. That simple little word had locked her in for life and while she knew she loved him, an impending feeling of suffocation was clawing at her throat.

She hated the way he was looking at her. Wary and suspicious, like she was a timid animal ready to bolt.

Rey fixed a sweet smile to her face, standing on her toes to kiss him.

“Why don’t we do some actual planning later? I am still...processing and letting everything sink in.” She explained gently, hoping it would be enough to placate him for now. 

He eyed her with a hint of suspicion before smiling.

“Of course. Sorry, you know me. I’m nothing if not enthusiastic.” He replied bashfully, “Anyway, I need to head out for a while. Some things to take care of, but I promise I won’t be long. Make yourself at home, get comfortable!” He insisted.

“Hmm. I suppose this is my home now.” She mumbled. Another change she had yet to process. 

He kissed her again, a hand cradling the back of her head before promising that he wouldn’t take too long. Only when she heard the front door close did she let the smile fall from her face.

Rey began to pace, her breath coming in huge gulps as everything truly began to sink in.

“Okay...okay...so you’ve joined a cult, basically.” She muttered to herself, still pacing the kitchen.

She needed out. She needed _air_. The walls of the beautiful house felt like they were closing in. She had gone to them of her own free will, riddled with guilt and blinded by love. They told her she would be free, but now Rey felt anything but.

Bursting through the front door, Rey paid no mind to the startled followers of Eden’s Gate. They didn’t seem perturbed at her presence on the Seed Ranch but more the panicked expression she wore as she dashed through the property.

Voices warred in her head as she power-walked out of the back gate towards the countryside. The fresh air felt wonderful but she was still conflicted. Eventually, her thighs aching, she gave up and sat down under a large tree.

If she wanted him, she had to accept all of it. His family, Eden’s Gate, the confessions, the bunker. All of it. He would never leave his family and deep down, she’d known that all along.

When she’d woken, it still all seemed like a dream and now it was shattered with a hard dose of reality. 

She sat there for minutes, hours, who knew how long when a familiar, calm voice broke her solitude.

“Hello, Rey.”

“Jesus fucking Christ!” She exclaimed, jumping where she sat.

Joseph was standing in front of her wearing a ghost of a smile. 

“Not quite.” He replied.

“Oh, so...you make jokes now?” Rey sniggered, masking her discomfort.

“I have been known to, on occasion. May I join you?”

There was that conflict again. Joseph Seed, The Father, the man she’d been told to cuff all those months ago. Project Eden’s Gate was his, so many considered him evil or insane, but there he was asking her politely to sit down. 

Rey nodded. What use was there in fighting?

“Sure.” She confirmed, the taller man awkwardly sinking to her level on the ground, “Can I take an educated guess as to why you’re here?”

“By all means.”

“John didn’t waste any time in telling you that I confessed to him.” She stated with an unwitting bitterness.

Joseph regarded her thoughtfully, his eyes moving under the yellow lenses of his glasses.

“You sound...resentful?”

“No!” Rey insisted, “It’s not that, I just...this whole thing is a lot. I’ve spent so long _hating_ you. Hating your family and now? I hate that I _don’t_. Even when I know all the things you’ve done in the name of this project. All the things _he_ has done.”

Joseph sat in silence, patiently waiting for her to finish.

“But still you opened your heart to him?” Joseph prompted. 

Rey swallowed, blinking rapidly to try and chase away the impending tears. 

“Because...I think he’s just like me.” She sniffed, “And I know there’s good in him, I’ve seen it. I know this is what I wanted, to be with him but...I guess it’s only now sinking in that I can never leave.”

“Why would you want to?” 

He wasn’t accusing her or passing judgment. He simply asked the questions she was afraid of asking herself. She sighed, raking a hand back through her hair.

“I don’t, not really. It’s not like I have anything to go back to. I guess I just hate the thought of being kept here.”

“Nobody is _keeping_ you here, Rey. John doesn’t want to keep you, he wants to love you.” Joseph explained evenly, “John has always been more susceptible to sin. Lonely from a young age. I do what I can but he needs a guiding light, someone to keep him on the path.”

“That’s a hell of a responsibility.” Rey snorted, “You said that I wasn’t here by chance. Is this what you meant?”

Joseph gave her a wry smile.

”I believed that God sent you to our family to be a healer. I didn’t immediately realize what form that would take until I saw John with you in the waters…”

“He tried to drown me!” Rey hotly reminded him.

“But he didn’t.” Joseph replied calmly, “I know what you seek too. I’ve seen it in your eyes. Longing for meaningful connection. You could walk away now, go back to your old ways but we are offering you community, a family…”

“Because your family is normal?” she smirked.

“Tell me, what did you see this morning?” Joseph asked abruptly.

John drinking his coffee, reading the newspaper. Outside men and women were working the ranch as if it were just another piece of farmland, smiling and chatting with one another. It had been all scarily _normal_.

“Normal is a relative term, Rey.” Joseph said evenly, “We’re a family. We eat a lot of our evening meals together. We talk about our day, current events, things we enjoy. We support one another.”

“Sounds nice,” Rey admitted. “John wants to get married.”

“Of course he does.” Joseph agreed, smirking enigmatically, “John has never been one to do things by half. I believe I may be able to temper his expectations a little.”

“You would do that?” Rey gawked, “Why?”

“Because we’re a family now.” He smiled, standing and brushing the dirt from his black jeans and coat, “Come, walk with me. It’s a nice day.”

“Where are we going?” Rey asked, pushing herself to her feet.

“Wherever our feet take us.” Joseph shrugged.

He was already walking away, leaving Rey to catch up to his long strides.

00000

If there was ever a feeling John hated, it was insecurity.

From the moment he’d escaped the controlling grasp of his adopted parents, he’d worked as hard as possible so he wouldn’t have anything to feel insecure about.

It wasn’t a perfect plan. It didn’t work particularly well either, but since reuniting with his brothers, it wasn’t something he’d dealt with in quite some time.

Until that morning.

While she slept he’d planned it all out in his head, unable to contain his excitement when she woke, but the way she had reacted, with wide eyes and unsure smiles made him worry he’d ruined everything before it had begun. 

“Stupid John. Fucking stupid.” He growled to himself, wandering the grounds. 

It didn’t help that he’d returned home to find her gone. He’d swallowed his panic, trying to trust that she only needed some time and that she hadn’t abandoned him to return to the resistance.

It was late afternoon by the time the main door opened. Rey pushed her way inside, dropping a huge backpack onto the floor. She grinned at where he sat on his sofa, giving him no time to stand by straddling his lap. 

He groaned softly into her kiss, feeling her hands sinking into his pushed back hair.

“Good evening to you too, deputy!” 

“Hi!” She grinned, “I’ve had the weirdest day.”

“Go on…” he prompted, wondering what constituted ‘weird’. 

“Don’t freak out.”

“Don’t give me a reason to freak out?” He replied, the tension in his voice growing as he eyed her suspiciously.

“I woke up this morning and I was _so_...happy.”

“That’s great!”

“But then I think I had a bit of a moment.”

“Oh…”

“And it’s not that I don’t want to be here but when I decided to confess I didn’t _really_ think about the fact that there’s no going back.” She continued quickly, trying to give him as little time to worry as possible.

“If you wanted to...I’d let you go…” he began reluctantly.

Rey shook her head, her hands on his face to stop him in his tracks.

“First of all, baby, I don’t believe you one bit.” She teased, “and it’s okay. I don’t want to go anywhere!” 

“Stockholm syndrome. How romantic…” he drawled sarcastically.

Rey clamped her hand over his mouth.

“Shush!” She groaned, “I spoke to Joseph today.”

“Really?” He questioned, her hand moving so he could speak. “You spoke to Joseph?”

“I did and he’s...intense.” She admitted, “But I kind of get it now.”

He began to grin.

“Not _all_ of it!” She insisted, “I really, _really_ need to stress that! I’ve not drunk the kool-aid, but I love you and...I don’t want us to be alone anymore.”

His expression was almost unreadable. A mixture of awestruck and confused, like she was a puzzle he was trying to solve. Unable to articulate himself, something that was rare for him, he settled on pulling her to him, kissing her breathless.

“You’re not alone.” he comforted, her forehead leaning on his.

“Neither are you.” 

Something in her chest hurt watching the last of his confident facade melt away, the 32 years old looking more like the lost boy Joseph had told her about. Quickly, he righted himself, smiling naturally at her.

“Look, I know this is a lot.” He conceded, “but I want you to _want_ to be here. Take as much time as you need, talk to people, get to know the project. I’m not going to push you into anything.”

Rey grinned widely, her fingers playing with the hair at the back of his neck.

“Why don’t we start with dinner?”


	3. Caught

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Joey Hudson becomes suspicious of where Deputy Rey Jackson is going on her days off...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **AU** John and Rey have been seeing each other secretly.

“Sheriff, I’m telling you something is wrong !”

Earl Whitehorse huffed an aggravated sigh, taking off his glasses to pinch the bridge of his nose. Most of the time Joey Hudson’s passion and dedication made her an asset to his office, but when he was up to his eyeballs in other people’s problems, the last thing he needed was his opinionated deputy stepping on his last nerve.

“What do you want me to do, Hudson?” He sighed, “Deputy Jackson is a big girl and in case you hadn’t noticed, she is more than capable of taking care of herself. What am I supposed to do? Lock her in a cell for the night?”

“I know she can look after herself, but all it takes is one slip up and the cult will have her!” Joey stressed, “You’re her commanding officer, can’t you do something?!”

“Hudson, enough !” Earl barked, “We have got a list of issues as long as the Henbane to deal with. If Rey is checking in, safe, and helping take care of people then I don’t have a problem with what she’s doing. So please, drop it.”

Joey closed her mouth, her lips a thin, frustrated line as she clenched her jaw. The Sheriff may not have seen a reason to be concerned but something didn’t feel right for Joey. For weeks since they’d both escaped John’s Gate, Rey had been acting strange. She hadn’t been slacking in her duties, but more and more often she was disappearing on her own. When asked where she had been her answers were increasingly vague. 

Maybe it was nothing, but something in her gut told her otherwise.

Joey grumbled under her breath, walking out of the prison to get some fresh air. The early evening sun was beginning to lower in the sky, streaking the land with a warm orange glow. She paced back and forth trying to use some anxious energy, her twitchy hand eventually snatching the radio on her hip.

“Hudson to Jackson, please respond?” She called, crossing her arms and tapping her foot impatiently. 

The radio crackled to life.

“This is Jackson. What do you need, Joey?”

“Just wanting to check in and find out your status for this evening?” Joey asked casually. 

A minute of silence followed, raising Joey’s suspicion.

“Uh, I’ll be staying in Falls End tonight,” Rey answered, offering no further explanation.

“Falls End, huh?” Joey drawled over the radio, “Seem to be spending an awful lot of time in the Holland Valley region. Are things still hot in the west?”

“Yeah, there’s just a lot of movement going on over here that I think it’s worth keeping an eye on.” 

Joey gazed cynically at her radio, a single eyebrow raising.

“Do you need any help?” She asked, already knowing what the answer would be, “Sometimes two sets of eyes are better than one.”

“No! It’s alright.” Rey insisted, “Easier to move quietly if there’s just one person. I’ll come to the prison tomorrow to report in.”

“If you’re sure. Hudson out.”

No, something wasn’t right. Rey, normally so open, sounded twitchy and unsure. She was hiding something. There was no use in asking her outright, she would only deny anything was wrong. 

She just wanted to know that the rookie was okay. All she had to do was see for herself that Rey was fine and she would drop the subject. 

It was time to take a trip to Falls End.

00000

Following Rey wasn’t going to be the easiest task.

The junior deputy was an experienced hunter and adept at reading the forest. If she got too close or made too much noise, there was a good chance Rey would catch her and Joey didn’t have a valid excuse to explain why she was there.

Luckily, her binoculars had a zoom function.

Rey was approaching the Lincoln lookout tower, the area long abandoned since the cult took over, but she didn’t appear to be using any kind of caution. Strange considering Rey had told her the area was still full of Peggies. The tower should have been a hot zone for cult activity but squinting through the binoculars, it was seemingly empty except for the single light on inside the room.

Joey moved position, shifting to lay on her stomach at the edge of a large rock, lifting the binoculars back to her eyes. 

“What are you doing, Rey?” Joey muttered to herself, watching the other deputy climb the stairs onto the balcony of the watchtower. 

Rey paced the balcony, but she didn’t appear to be looking out to the land. Instead, she was hugging herself tightly, looking down at her own feet anxiously. Joey zoomed in as much as she could, movement from the corner of the lens pulling her attention.

The figure moved quickly, grabbing Rey around the waist. 

“Fuck, it’s Seed! What the fuck is he doing here?!” Joey hissed, ready to jump to her feet and sprint to her friend's rescue, but she paused watching intently through the lenses.

Rey turned in his arms, Joey waiting for the inevitable punch the deputy would throw, but instead, she smiled? Cold settled in Joey’s stomach, like a lump of ice in her gut, watching the scene unfold in front of her. Rey was smiling. John was smiling.

He kissed her. 

Softly at first but soon Rey’s hands slid around his neck, holding him closer as the intensity grew. He rested his forehead on hers. They were talking but reading lips wasn’t Joey’s speciality and they were too far away for her to hear, but she could tell it was hardly hostile.

“What the fuck...what the fuck ?!” She gasped, gulping in air quickly, her chest tightening painfully.

Rey was pulling John inside the tower. He was taking off his coat, pulling at the buttons of her green shirt and Joey could watch no more. She dropped the binoculars without care, grasping her head as it spun, her eyes beginning to tear painfully.

Rhiannon Jackson, the hero junior deputy, the woman who had saved her from torture, was a traitor. 

Joey’s legs were unsteady as she tried to rush away, determined to get as far from the scene of the crime as possible until she couldn’t run any more, falling to her knees on the rough ground. Her stomach heaved, throwing up what little she had eaten earlier.

Panting, she wiped her mouth, her vision blurred with stinging hot tears. 

She knew something was wrong, that Rey had been hiding a secret, but she could never have imagined that it was something so wrong.

There had to be a reason, she thought, pulling herself to her feet. This was Rey. There had to be an explanation for what she had just seen. John Seed was a monster. A torturer, a murderer, a sadist. Rey never would have gone to him willingly.

Joey took a deep breath, wiping her soaked eyes as she walked. Rey said she was coming to the prison tomorrow. Good.

She owed everyone an explanation.

00000

Joey had barely slept.

When she closed her eyes she could see the things he’d done to her, the way he’d tortured her. She could feel the pain radiating through her body. Trying again, it was the image of Rey in his arms, the pretty smile that melted against his lips as he kissed her.

The whole thing made her sick. 

An anger she had never felt before had finally set in. The initial upset was still there, but it was taken over by the sick ache of betrayal. How could Rey walk around as if nothing was wrong, knowing everything about the resistance that she did? How could she be sure that Rey wasn’t telling the Seed’s everything?

But it was more than just the potential of stolen secrets. Rey knew first hand who John Seed was, the things he had done and more, the things he had done to her. The idea that Rey could cast all that aside was unthinkable.

The morning at the prison was still fairly quiet, many people were still asleep in the temporary cots. Earl stood hovering over the large desk in the centre of the cell block, overlooking the maps and marking with a red pen the areas that still needed to be checked along with deputy Pratt. Joey paced anxiously until the doors to the block opened.

Rey walked in, a pleasant smile on her face. Joey’s eyes narrowed on her throat, spying something that suspiciously looked like a bite mark.

“Good morning everyone-”

“Where were you last night?” Joey snapped somewhat hysterically, striding forward and cutting off Rey’s greeting to the room.

Rey stopped short, blinking rapidly.

“Uh, I was in Falls End.” She stammered, “Doing the patrols...Like I told you.”

“Don’t lie to me!” Joey hissed, levelling a finger at her, “I know that you were at the Lincoln watchtower...with John Seed!”

His name made everyone in the room stop in their tracks, watching the pair with interest. Her raised voice had drawn others into the room.

“I...No, that’s not what-”

“I fucking saw you together!” Joey screamed, her hand swinging forward. 

Her palm connected with Rey’s cheek, like a sudden crack of thunder that echoed around the cold stone walls of the prison. Rey gasped, holding her burning face, her eyes tearing.

“Hudson!” Earl barked, but Rey held out a hand, silently telling them to keep back.

Joey stared at the other deputy, her own eyes beginning to water as they remained hard.

“Joey, I’m sorry…” Rey breathed, her voice breaking, “I’m so sorry…”

“Fucking traitor !” 

The movement was as automatic as breathing, her hand reaching for the pistol at her side. Her heart hurt, throbbing in her chest as she directed the barrel at her former friend. 

“Deputy Hudson put the gun down!” Earl screamed as Rey raised her hands in surrender.

“Whoa, calm down Joey!” Deputy Pratt urged, his eyes wide and fearful. 

The frenzied sounds vibrating through the walls had drawn others from the adjoining rooms, Tracey and Virgil rushing through and stopping with abrupt gasps at the sight.

“Hudson put the gun down. That is an order!”

“Tell them, Rey!” Joey spat, “Tell them all how you betrayed everyone in here. How you sold us out!”

“I didn’t!” Rey replied hotly, “I haven’t told them anything!”

“How can I believe that?!”

“I just...Joey, I wouldn’t…” Rey urged, tears slipping down her cheeks, her hands raised.

The gun trembled in Joey’s hands, the other inhabitants standing still as statues, petrified to move. 

“What the fuck is going on?” Pratt whined. 

Joey laughed. Humorless and cold.

“Our hero here, disappearing into the night without a word? Turns out she’s been knocking boots with John fucking Seed!” Joey announced with a sneer, “She’s literally been sleeping with the enemy!”

“That’s not-”

“Go on, Rey, tell us how ‘it’s not how it looked’ or that ‘it’s not what I think’,” Joey mocked, the gun still trailed on Rey’s chest.

“It’s not !” Rey shouted back, finally finding her voice, “There’s so much more to it!”

“Bullshit!”

“Why do you think things have been easing up, huh?” Rey questioned, “Why do you think the raids have stopped? I’ve been trying -”

“Shut the fuck up!” Joey screamed, stepping closer, her eyes frenzied as she choked back a pained sob, “You’re a liar, a traitor and you’ve sold all of us out!”

“That’s not true!” Rey insisted, tearing her eyes away from Joey to implore the others in the room, “Sheriff, let me explain. Please!?”

Earl nodded shakily, taking a step towards the distraught deputy Hudson.

“Joey put the gun down. Let’s discuss this somewhere...less public?”

“No!” Joey shouted, “Stay back!”

Earl and Pratt did as they were asked, stepping away and raising their own hands in defence.

“Just tell me why, Rey?” Joey begged, her voice broken, “Is he blackmailing you? You give yourself and the cult pulls back? You don’t need to do it, there’s another way. We can keep fighting-”

“No.” Rey shook her head sadly, “That’s not it. Joey, I’m so sorry. I know what he did to you was awful. I know that, but it’s...complicated.”

“Then uncomplicate it,” Joey growled through gritted teeth, her patience wearing thin.

She had hoped Rey would agree with her. That she’d say she’d been desperate to secure the safety of their people, that he’d made her an offer she couldn’t refuse. They could have found another way then.

“Joey, I...I love him.”

Words were muffled by the sound of blood pounding in her ears, her heart smashing against her ribs. The world around them fell away and all that was left was the traitor standing in front of her. A former friend, saying she was in love with a bitter enemy. Joey barely heard her own rough sob as it tore through her throat, a rush of adrenaline as her finger squeezed the trigger twice.

Rey’s world slowed. A fierce burning pain on the right side of her chest was followed by such an intense ache she could barely take a breath. The environment tilted as she fell, her body meeting the floor with a dull thud.

“Jesus Christ! Get that gun from her!” Earl commanded loudly, Pratt racing towards Joey, knocking her to the floor. Others joined him, holding her down as he snapped cuffs on her.

“Good God, Doctor Lindsey, get him in here!” Virgil shouted, dashing to Rey’s body. 

Blood had begun to saturate her shirt, colouring the white vest below a deep scarlet colour. Virgil tore off his waistcoat, applying heavy pressure to Rey’s chest. She yelled in pain, her skin rapidly turning pale. Dr Lindsey knelt by her side, tentatively moving Virgil’s hand to inspect the wound.

“Can you do anything?” Earl asked. 

“I can try.” The doctor lamented, “But I’ve only got basic medical supplies here...and...well, you know I’m a vet…”

“Well, you’re all we’ve got right now, son!” Earl snapped, “Do your best. I’ll get on the radio for help.”

Behind them, Joey was being dragged into a cell.

“I...I’m sorry.” she babbled, “But...she...she betrayed us all!” Joey sobbed. 

“Pratt, get her out of here! Christ, I’ll deal with her later.” Earl growled, picking up the radio and changing to an open frequency, “This is Sheriff Whitehorse operating on all frequencies. We have an officer down, I repeat, Officer Jackson is down. We are in desperate need of medical assistance at Hope County Prison!”

Earl turned to where Rey lay motionless on the floor, her skin a sickly colour in comparison to the blood pooling on the floor, questioning why he hadn’t listened to his instincts to get the gun from Joey in the first place.

“Hang in there, Rook.”

00000

Tension hung thick in the air around the prison.

Earl had commanded people who weren’t strictly required to return to their posts. There was still work to be done. He knew the gossip would spread like wildfire, but he could only deal with one issue at a time.

Right now his biggest issue was lying on a medical cot with the other mumbling gibberish to herself in a jail cell. 

“What’s the news, doctor?” Earl asked gravely. 

Dr. Lindsey pushed his glasses up his nose, sighing and shaking his head at a loss.

“I’ve done everything I can with what I had. I could get the bullets out and I don’t think they’ve done trauma to the major organs but the deputy lost a lot of blood and there was no way to work aseptically with what we had. She’s at a major risk of infection without antimicrobial dressings or preventative antibiotics. She’s barely awake, but we don’t have any pain medication either. Earl, she needs a real Doctor.” he said frankly.

Earl sighed, wiping his forehead with his arm. It was a relief to hear that she was stable but this was what he’d been afraid of. They’d already been running on empty with victims of the bliss. 

“I put out the call a few hours ago.” Earl sighed, “We need to see if someone answers it.”

From the front door, a bell began to frantically ring, cutting through the silence like a buzzsaw.

“What the fuck now!?” Earl groaned.

“Earl, Peggies at the gate!”

“Jesus Christ, not now. Do not engage!” he shouted, grabbing his shotgun and rushing through to the front barricade wall, “I mean it, do not engage!”

He was huffing and puffing by the time he climbed the ladder onto the outer wall, joining his fellow Cougar’s as they stared down at the sight before them. A convoy of armed trucks surrounded the front gate, each mounted gun on the top manned and ready to shoot. 

“What do we do? Do we fire?” Pratt asked with panic, glancing between Earl and the small army in front of them.

“No!” Earl hissed, “If we attack first, none of us are leaving here alive.”

The doors of the first truck opened, three very familiar figures stepping out onto the concrete.

“Holy fuck...it’s the Seeds!” Pratt gasped.

Joseph lead the charge, Jacob and John close behind him. Earl could see the irate expression on John’s face even from a distance, the man ready to storm forward only to be held back by his brothers. Joseph, rested his hand on John’s shoulder, quietly whispering something to his brother before the youngest Seed nodded reluctantly, jaw clenched and a twitch under his eye.

“We received your radio transmission.” Joseph called calmly, stepping forward, “We have come for the deputy.”

“What makes you think we’re going to hand over one of our own?” Earl replied.

John scowled, storming forward, barely held back by Jacob.

“When one of your own was the person doing the shooting!” he shouted back. 

“What my brother means to say,” Joseph added reasonably, “Is that we are the only people who can help you. We have the doctors, we have the medical supplies. Without us, you know as well as I do, that the deputy might not make it and that is unacceptable.” he finished, glancing at his irate younger brother, “If she doesn’t, there will be consequences beyond my control.”

Earl knew what that meant. John Seed would burn Hope County to ashes.

Everyone looked to Earl, various expressions of worry on their face. He was stuck between a rock and a hard place. He didn’t want to hand over the woman to the cult, but they had the resources to help. If what Joey said was true, and if John’s reaction was anything to go by, it was, then perhaps Rey would be in better hands.

“All we are asking is free passage inside the prison, a small number of us, in peace. We will take deputy Jackson somewhere safe for treatment.” Joseph finished. 

“Shit, what do we do Sheriff?” Pratt asked, his grip on his gun shaking, “There’s too many of them to fight.”

There was. Between the men on the ground, those no doubt in the back of the vans and the mounted guns, the resistance holed up inside the prison didn’t stand a chance. The fact that Joseph was even asking politely spoke volumes. Earl hadn’t wanted to believe the accusations Joey had screamed at Rey before pulling the trigger, but it was the only explanation for what was happening.

“Let them through.” He reluctantly agreed.

“What?! Sheriff, are you serious?!” Tracey shouted at his other side, “We can’t just-”

“We can and we will. If we don’t, none of us are leaving here alive. We need to pick our battles.” he hissed, turning to the Seed family and elevating his voice, “Alright, fine. Only a small group, and only to retrieve the deputy. You say you’re a man of God, Seed. Don’t make me regret this!”

“You have made a wise decision, Sheriff.” Joseph smiled, nodding to some of his men.

True to his word, only a small group followed two men carrying a field stretcher. Earl met them at the door, reluctantly leading them through the prison until John finally grew impatient, barging past everyone the minute he spotted her lying supine on the cot.

“Out of my way!” he growled, pushing Dr. Lindsey out of the way, the man too startled by John’s presence to do anything other than stumble back. 

Earl stood back, watching with curiosity despite the tension. The minute he was by her bedside, his demeanour changed. As if there was nobody else in the room, he grabbed her hand, another stroking her pale cheek with his tattooed knuckles.

She was barely awake, her eyes unfocused but she gave him a weak smile when he pressed a kiss to the back of her hand.

“Hey, you.” She whispered weakly. 

John swallowed back the lump in his throat, jaw clenching with a myriad of emotions when she winced in pain.

“Hey you.” he replied thickly, “Don’t move. We’ve come to take care of you.”

“Every...everybody knows...I’m sorry.” Rey rasped, gasping for breath with difficulty. 

John stroked her hair gently.

“Shh. Don’t try to speak, okay?” he instructed, “I’m here now, you’re going to be fine.”

A reverent hush seemed to fall over the room, the Chosen not wanting to interrupt until they were told to. Earl stood sandwiched between Jacob and Joseph, watching with astonishment.

“Well, I’ll be damned,” he mumbled quietly, “It’s true.”

“Yes,” Joseph confirmed, “It’s amazing how love can grow even in the face of insurmountable odds.” 

Earl shot him a curious look, Joseph only returning an enigmatic, knowing smile. The difference in the Baptist was staggering. Rey had mentioned during the argument that there was a reason the cult was lightening up, maybe she had a point. They had tried hostile tactics which had only created more violence. Perhaps it was time to try another way.

“Joseph, how would you feel about sitting down and discussing terms? Without violence, man to man?” Earl asked tentatively. 

John had instructed their men to move her, glaring daggers at them when she hissed with pain as they lifted the stretcher. Earl watched him take off his coat, draping it over her for warmth, still bewildered by the softness and worry in the man’s blue eyes.

“I believe we can come to an arrangement, sheriff,” Joseph confirmed.

He followed them out towards the convoy, realizing that they already had a medical transport ready for her. It was hard and he knew the minute the cult retreated he would be met with a wall of questions but really, Earl knew this was the right choice.

Before she was taken away, he reached for Rey’s hand, ignoring John’s suspicious glare at the other side of the stretcher.

“Stay alive, Rook.”

Giving her hand a final squeeze, Earl felt himself pushed back, the deputy closed in the back of the van with John and a doctor.

He stepped away, allowing the convoy to drive away, leaving Earl with a prison full of confused rebels and a lot of questions to answer.

00000

For at least a week there had been silence.

The cult had seemingly pulled back their more problematic operations, focusing solely on preaching their word without the use of violence. That suited Earl just fine, giving the regions a chance to regrow and breathe.

He supposed that no news was good news. The details of their shaky truce were still to be hashed out, a ceasefire in operation until he could really sit down with Joseph properly, but then their first meeting had gone better than he’d hoped. If anything with his deputy’s condition had gone south, he assumed he would have been informed.

There had been tension certainly, it was to be expected, but it wasn’t helped by John’s presence. The youngest seed was still seething over the incident. Part of his demands included Joey Hudson being handed into his custody.

Knowing full well how he would treat the woman, it was something Earl wouldn’t allow.

As the first meeting concluded, Earl took his chance, stopping John before he stepped into his truck.

“John, how is she?” 

John paused at the door of the large pick-up, his pale eyes narrowing at the older man with mistrust.

“Please.” Earl pressed. 

John’s face and shoulders softened, dropping his defensive stance.

“She’s fine,” he relented, “Still sore but, getting better. Turns out when a doctor tells her ‘bed rest for at least a week’, Rey hears ‘two days will do fine’, but other than that…”

John snorted, venting a tiny bit of his frustration, pushing back his hair. Rey had been taken straight to his ranch, the best doctors they had already on standby. They’d patched up her wounds properly, ensured that infection was unlikely and advised that she rested for at least a week to be on the safe side.

Less than 48 hours later, John had found a very fragile looking Rey trying to raid his kitchen. 

Lecturing her was useless. She was already falling asleep against his shoulder when he carried her back to the bed.

“That sounds like rook.” Earl sniggered.

“She missed you though.” John admitted honestly, “I know she’d really like to talk to you but I think she doesn’t really know what to say after...y’know?”

“I’d like to speak with her myself.” Earl replied, “I miss the kid.”

“You should come to the ranch,” John suggested, although reluctantly, looking like he was swallowing something sour. 

Earl smiled. Partly at the suggestion but also at the younger man’s discomfort. Clearly John was still getting used to living authentically without the use of manipulation.

“I might do just that.” Earl agreed.

John nodded curtly, muttering something about telling his guards to allow Earl past, before climbing into the truck and slamming the door closed.

00000

Money might not have been able to buy happiness but it turns out it could buy you a beautiful property.

Earl whistled with appreciation, tipping back his hat as he walked onto the Seed ranch. He’d never seen it up close before and he had to admit, he was a little jealous. It was the type of place he could see himself retiring to.

If he made it that far.

She was waiting for him on the front porch, casual in her white vest, red plaid shirt and denim shorts, a bright excited smile on her face. John was standing next to her, loyal and suspicious as a guard dog, holding her hand until she pulled away, hopping down the stairs.

Without warning she threw herself at her Sheriff, hugging him as best she could with her good arm. Disregarding their audience of peggies, Earl hugged her back.

“God, you’re a sight for sore eyes, rook.” Earl smiled, stepping back to take her all in, “How’s the…” he trailed off, nodding towards her still dressed wounds.

“The whole side is still a little stiff but it’s getting better every day,” Rey confessed. She glanced around, very aware that all eyes were on them, “Why don’t we take a walk?”

Earl agreed, following Rey towards the walking trail near the back of the ranch.

Rey said nothing as they walked, chewing her lip anxiously. Her eyes stayed on the path, her breathing growing erratic as she tried not to cry.

“I’m sorry!” She blurted out, stopping abruptly, “I’m so sorry I didn’t tell you, but...how could I? I didn’t know myself what was even going on, or how I felt and...and…”

“Shh. Calm down, take a breath!” Earl soothed, “Rook, I do wish you’d told me.”

“How could I?” she repeated, “Would you really have taken it well if I told you that I was involved with someone like John Seed? Really?”

Earl scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. The real answer was no. She was like a daughter to him. He'd have screamed at her, asked her if she’d lost her damn mind. He might not have felt the same level of betrayal as Joey had, but he certainly could understand the girl's heartbreak.

“No. No, I suppose you’re right.” He reluctantly agreed, “But that was before I saw it. I don’t know what you’ve done to that man, but...well, it’s positive let's put it that way. How did it even start?”

Now it was Rey’s turn to awkwardly play with her hair, kicking a rock absently, her face flushing.

“It’s uh...it’s a little weird,” she muttered, “We just started talking. Really talking, about things that had nothing to do with the cult or Hope County or...anything and it turns out, we have a lot more in common. It just grew from there…”

“You know he’s going to have to answer for the things he’s done.” Earl warned, “It’s not going to be smooth sailing.”

Rey raised her chin in defiance, a sad smile on her face.

“Literally all of us have done some fucked up things in the name of this stupid war.” she shrugged, “If he’s going down, we’re all going down.”

Earl nodded thoughtfully, knowing she was right.

“Listen, I’m not here right now to talk law with you. I came to make sure you were safe.” He stated, “Are you?”

“I’m not being kept here if that’s what you’re asking?” Rey replied indignantly, “John is taking amazing care of me and I can leave whenever I want, but I’m trying to make a difference!”

“Can’t say it wasn’t working. Things had been a little lighter.” Earl said, the pair continuing to walk around the perimeter of the grounds, “And I suppose this whole ugly situation did help get a meeting with the Seeds face to face.”

“See? Silver lining. Maybe I should get shot more often.” Rey teased, her smile quickly fading, “What, um, happened to Joey?” she asked quietly.

“Deputy Hudson has been transferred to Helena to take some time off and get the help she needs.” Earl said gravely, “I think it was best she wasn’t in Hope County anymore.”

Rey nodded, knowing full well that John wouldn’t have rested until he’d exacted his own kind of revenge. He was facing his own demons slowly, but some habits die hard.

“She was never the same after the bunker.” Rey sighed, “And...I get it, I don’t deny what happened down there was awful. Disturbing, even but as Pastor Jerome says, we have to be able to forgive. It’s the only way to heal.”

“You becoming a woman of God now?” Earl smirked. 

Rey blushed, shoving her long hair behind her ear.

“Just watching out for my own karma.” she shrugged, “Thanks, Earl, for being so understanding.”

“I don’t know if I understand, in all honesty, Rook.” he sighed, “But you seem happy. I guess I can’t complain about that. Oh, I almost forgot, this is yours.”

He dug into his pocket, pulling out the deputy badge and handing it to her.

“You dropped this at the prison. Got it cleaned up a bit for you. Can’t do your job without it.” He smiled, watching her tear up at the gesture, “Hope John will be alright with it, mind you…”

Rey clipped the badge to her hip.

“John can live with it.”


	4. Duncan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> John Duncan is over 3 hours late for dinner...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **John Duncan Lawyer AU**

The candles had burned out, wax dripping down the metal holders and onto the table. 

The dinner she’d prepared was long cold, left abandoned in the kitchen. Rey had eaten a little, reminding herself that it wasn’t just her wellbeing she had to think of but it had been a struggle. Anxiety twisted her stomach in knots, every mouthful a forced swallow.

She couldn’t have told you why she was still sitting at the dinner table, but really, what else could she do? He was almost three hours late. She was too upset to watch TV, too agitated to give up and go to sleep. It left her with the option of sitting there in the dull lamplight, occasionally checking her phone

Still no messages.

But why was she surprised? It was classic John Duncan and she knew it. He promised her the world with a charming smile and wicked lips, only to disappear for weeks on end. Eventually, he’d return, giving her simpering apologies and those big blue eyes. 

Every time she fell for it and every time he repeated the pattern she felt more of a fool.

00000

_She’d never felt more out of place in her life._

_Dressed to the nines in a rented designer gown, Rey walked into the luxury penthouse. Why her police chief thought it was prudent to have her there with him was a mystery. Some bullshit about representing the force in a positive light. She didn’t buy it._

_A glass of champagne in her hand, she excused herself politely from the dull conversation around her, making headway towards the beautiful balcony with views over Atlanta. The evening breeze was refreshing after the stuffy interior and she smiled, leaning on the glass railing._

_“Now what is someone so beautiful doing standing alone?”_

_The man’s voice was smooth, confident and more than a little disarming as it broke the silence. Rey turned. She didn’t recognise the person but then, she only vaguely recognised anyone there._

_“Just…getting some air.” She smiled, “Parties like this aren’t really my thing.”_

_He came to stand next to her, an inquisitive look on his face as if she was something to be solved. His dark hair was pushed back from his face, beard neatly manicured and she was sure the navy suit he wore could pay her rent for months._

_But the thing that really drew her in was his eyes. Icy blue, curious and too intelligent for comfort._

_“Oh, come on, it’s not that bad surely?” He smiled. She couldn’t help but return the expression._

_“Depends. Do I want to talk to boring politicians or boring lawyers?”_

_“Ouch!” He chuckled, “Taking no prisoners with that assessment, Miss…”_

_“Rey. Rey Jackson.” She introduced herself, “and you are?”_

_“It’s very nice to meet you, Rey. I’m John Duncan.” He answered with an amused smile like he knew a secret joke, those eyes on her waiting for her to work out the punchline._

_“John Duncan? Oh…OH!”_

_“Sorry, I’m afraid you’re speaking to another boring lawyer.” He teased._

_“I am SO sorry!” Rey winced, “I didn’t mean to insult you!”_

_John laughed heartily, holding his chest as he did. Rey could still feel heat rising on her cheeks._

_“No offence taken. You’re not wrong, actually. This party is dull as hell.” He grinned, throwing back the drink he held in his hand, “Want to get out of here?”_

_Rey blinked back at him. Had he really just asked her to leave with him?_

_“Go? Now? Where?” She asked, more than a little flustered._

_With confidence she’d never seen, he reached out and smoothed a lock of hair behind her ear, the contact of his skin tingling._

_“Anywhere you want, Angel.”_

00000

Accepting that her night was a lost cause, Rey left the table. Wandering to her bedroom, she decided to change out of her nice dress and into something more comfortable. 

Grabbing her sweats from her drawer, she began to change, stopping to examine herself in the mirror. She wasn’t showing yet, but at barely along it wasn’t surprising. Her hair was tossed into a messy bun, meandering aimlessly around the apartment.

She had to tell him. That had been the point of this dinner, to try and salvage whatever she could from their whirlwind relationship. She would tell him her news and lay down the law. 

Either he changed his ways or he never saw her again. 

He was toxic. Potent like a drug because when things were good, they were so good. He made her feel like a Queen, showering her with gifts and anything she wanted. But when things were bad she would find herself left in withdrawal, craving his attention and his love that he would take away. 

Maybe she was a masochist to have stayed so long. This wasn’t the type of man to raise a baby with. But against all common sense, she wanted to give it one last try.

00000

_The bar wasn’t her usual type of place but it was nice to get a change of scenery. The blues on the jukebox was as soothing as the bourbon that slid down her throat, leaving a burning trail that warmed her chest._

_It was a nice distraction from the dull ache._

_Almost two weeks without word from John and she had finally given up. She didn’t think she was being unreasonable. They’d been seeing each other for months. Hell, he was the one who had made it very clear he didn’t want her seeing anyone else. Silly her for assuming it would work the other way._

**_< Rey> You know what? Fuck you. If you don’t want to see me anymore then just say it and stop this ghosting bullshit. Fucking coward._ **

_She’d sent the message hours ago, ordering herself another drink and toasting to her bravery. He wasn’t worth her time anymore._

_At the end of the bar, a young man with sandy blonde hair was smiling at her. He wasn’t her usual type. Too clean, like an Abercrombie and Fitch model. She smiled back. It wasn’t like she was looking to get married or anything._

_He slid along the bar, asking to join her and ordering another drink. Talking she discovered he was an accountant, he loved hiking and going to open mic nights. He was nice enough, she supposed. Not as sharp, or cutting as the man she was used to, but that wasn’t a bad thing._

_A loud crack sounded from the front, the door swinging open with such force it made the few people there jump. Rey’s mouth turned dry, her lungs burning with forgotten breath._

_“John?”_

_Flanked by what looked like private security, John stalked forward, nodding to the stranger next to Rey. He was hauled from the bar by the men, demanding to know what the hell was going on._

_“John, what the fuck?” Rey screamed. Reaching into his inner pocket, John grabbed a thick roll of cash, leaving it on the bar and giving the bartender a pointed look that suggested he forgot what he saw._

_He grabbed Rey by her upper arm, insistently pulling her outside._

_“What the hell?” She hissed, wrenching free of his grip._

_“Who the fuck is that?” John growled, pointing back to the terrified man, “Huh? Who is he, Rey?”_

_“Listen, man, I’ve just met her...we don’t know each other!” He insisted, his voice pitched and terrified._

_“What do you care? How did you even know I was here?” She fired back. John smiled, suddenly cool and collected._

_“I always know where you are, darling.” He crooned, “Always.”_

_“You haven’t made any contact with me for weeks and now you think you can just turn up and manhandle whoever speaks to me?!” Rey spat, “John, that’s insane!”_

_But a darker part of her loved it. The part of her who wanted to be owned, to be taken over piece by piece. She hated how her body was reacting, leaning into him so closely she could feel the heat from his breath._

_He sneered at her, her heart fluttering._

_“I care more than you know, Angel.” He declared, his eyes crazed, “Why don’t you come back to my place...so I can remind you who you really belong to?”_

00000

The front door slamming made her jump, suddenly waking from her place lying on the sofa. What time even was it? 

“Rey?!” 

She rubbed her bleary eyes, pushing herself up to squint at the clock. 12:45 am and John was finally home.

He shuffled into the sitting room on unsteady feet, his silk tie undone around his neck along with several buttons. Eyes red, he pushed the hair that had flopped forward from his face, giving her a lopsided grin.

“There’s my angel.” He slurred, lurching forward for a kiss that she twisted away from.

“Jesus John, you reek of booze!” Rey exclaimed, “Where the hell have you been? You’re so late.”

“I know, baby. I’m sorry,” he apologised, “Got stuck after that meeting. You know how it is.”

Calling her baby? If she didn’t know he was wasted before, she knew now. Traces of makeup and glitter lined the collar of his shirt.

“Uh-huh. Did that meeting take place at a strip club by any chance?” She asked, biting her lip to stop it trembling, her hand resting on her stomach.

John flopped onto the sofa, giggling to himself like a high teenager. His pupils were like saucers, traces of powder in his beard.

“No! It was just some private party, I couldn’t say no. They’re a big client!”

“So, let me just get this straight,” she began, her voice quivering, “You knew we had plans together. I told you that I had important news and instead you went to a ‘private party’ to what? Do coke and get fucked?”

He blinked at her, his eyes trying desperately to focus. Eventually, he shrugged.

“It’s no big deal.” He dismissed, his words still garbled, “You can tell me tomorrow.”

Rey took a deep breath. 

“Yeah. Right. I’ll just tell you tomorrow.” She said shortly, “Go to sleep, John.”

He had already passed out before she’d left the room.

00000

A bomb was going off inside his head.

More specifically, right between his eyes. The acute headache pinched at his optical nerves, feeling like his eyes were being dragged back into his skull. His mouth was so dry he could barely breathe, stomach churning as he sat up from his awkward position face down on the sofa.

How had he even got there? 

“Rey?” He called out, voice unrecognisable as he staggered to the kitchen to grab a bottle of water from the fridge.

He remembered something about stopping off at a clients home after his meeting. The drink he’d been offered turned into almost a full bottle. Someone had offered him a line which had seemed like a great idea at the time.

Now he was paying for it.

“Rey? Are you home?” He shouted again, his throat a little less hoarse. 

Wandering into the bedroom, there was a note left on her side of the bed

**_John,_ **

**_I can’t do this anymore_ **

**_R x_ **

“What the fuck?”

What did that mean? Scanning the room, the note began to make sense, cold settling in the pit of his stomach. Her jewellery, her clothes. All of it was gone. 

His stomach lurched, barely making it to the toilet as his body reacted violently to all he’d put it through over the past 24 hours. When he finally stopped, he rolled to sit on the bathroom floor, wiping his mouth.

As he sat on the cold tiles, his eyes scanned the space, his confused brain at a loss of what to do until something caught his eye.

He wasn’t sure why his eyes settled on it. Resting in the trash, the top of the blue stick poking out among the white tissue seemed to call him. He grabbed for it.

A frown pinched his brows, examining the pregnancy test like it was a math problem. It wasn’t just a test. It was positive, the pink little plus sign floating in the window. The stick clattered to the floor, his debilitated brain working harder than ever to connect the dots. There was a positive test in their en-suite bathroom which could only mean one thing.

Rey was pregnant.

Rey was pregnant and she had left him. 

John topped his head back, thudding lightly against the tile wall. 

“Fuck.”


	5. Young Heathens (Part 1)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Seed family have finally been arrested for their crimes but there are still questions that need answers. Rey decides to go directly to the source and visits John in prison, getting far more than she bargained for...not that she's complaining.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Prison AU** Rey and John have had no prior relationship in this story other than the Seed/Deputy dynamic.

The large metal gate slammed behind her. Rey wrinkled her nose at the smell, stale but slightly damp as she walked to the desk she’d been told to go to. The guard barely lifted his eyes until she put her badge on the counter.

“Name?” he asked, clearly fighting off a bored sigh.

“Rhiannon Jackson. I’m here on behalf of the Hope County Sheriff's department,” she said pleasantly but her smile was not returned. The guard only scanned the computer screen in front of him, nodding to himself when he found her name. A visitor's pass was shoved towards her.

“Visitors are not to deliver any items to inmates without written and verified permission. All firearms must be left here to be collected on your way out. Visitors are only to make contact with the inmate they are scheduled to see, do you understand?” It was clearly a speech he’d given a hundred times or more.

“I understand,” Rey answered indignantly. Never once did her badge make her feel superior to others, but his tone made her clench her fists, her jaw clenching while he spoke to her like she wasn’t also in law enforcement.

Montana state penitentiary wasn’t the most modern of prisons. The old building had been going since the 1800s, she’d been told, the red facade of the front iconic to most people who lived in the state. The same damp smell only intensified as she followed another guard through the corridors, past the group visitation rooms. 

Already Rey could see loved ones sitting across from the prisoners, fathers cooing at their children through the toughened glass. That wasn’t where she would be meeting the man she was coming to see. Group visitation was too open and considered a special privilege he hadn’t earned, as far as she knew.

Instead, she was walked to a small room, the walls just as grey and lifeless as the rest of the prison. The only furniture was a table with a chair on either side and plenty of distance in between. Rey sat down as instructed, the door closing behind the guard as he left the room. Drumming her fingers on the table as she waited with anticipation, Rey flinched when the opposite door opened. 

She hadn’t seen John Seed since the final push that saw every member of the Seed family arrested. Despite the blood that had dripped down his face and the chaos that had happened around them, John had remained quiet when he’d been cuffed and bundled into the van. Rey knew why. He was a lawyer, a good one at that. He wasn’t stupid enough to shout something that would incriminate him later.

Rey swallowed back the lump that had gathered in her throat, reminding herself to breathe as he was marched into the room. Somehow he managed to make the beige prison uniform seem dignified, his hands cuffed in front of him. John said nothing to her, his face passive as he sat down. Without any fuss, he obeyed the commands he was given, one set of cuffs being replaced with another set attached to the table. The door closed and finally, John smiled.

“Deputy, what a pleasant surprise,” he purred, “I didn’t think I’d be seeing your lovely face again.”

“Mr Seed,” Rey greeted but before she could say anything more, John scoffed.

“Please, Rey. Aren’t we past the formalities at this point?” he said, lifting his hands and waving his cuffs to emphasise his point, “Call me John.”

Her hands were fidgeting below the table, her knee bouncing with pent up anxious energy. His smile was as charismatic as it was problematic, sending her stomach fluttering and a rush of heat to her cheeks.

“Fine, John. How have you been keeping?” she said, determined to keep things as professional as possible. John snorted, rolling his eyes as he sat back in his chair.

“Oh, wonderful. This really is a five-star facility they have here. Duck feather pillows, private pool. Later today, I was going to play a few games on the tennis courts. It’s so important to stay healthy…”

“There’s no need for the sarcasm,” Rey snorted, the cocky smile John was sporting morphing into a frustrated sneer.

“Really? Then tell me how should I be?” He snapped, “I’m in  _ prison _ , Rey. How do you think I’ve been keeping?”

“Pretty well, all things considered. From what I’ve been hearing you’ve somehow been getting a lot of perks,” she said. John smiled arrogantly, licking his lips before he answered. 

“What can I say? I know the system well. I know how it works and I give people what they want,” he shrugged, “Everyone has a price.”

“So you’re just paying people off? Bribing the correctional officers for the things you want?”

“Among others,” John said honestly, leaning forward onto the table, “Listen, darling, as I’m sure you’re aware, these men and women are extremely underpaid for what they do. If I’m willing to give over the odds for a little bit of comfort, then I’m getting what I want and  _ they _ get something in return. Everyone wins.”

“But you don’t have what you want. Your brothers and sister are in other facilities,” Rey stated, watching him bristle and quickly righting himself.

“I will get them back, sooner or later,” he said confidently. 

“Isn’t that what you said about your ranch?” Rey smirked, remembering the irate radio call he’d sent her, threatening to mount her skin on the mantle and telling her how the walls could scream. She’d shivered then and the memory made her shiver now.

The glint that took his cool eyes had her mouth running dry, the expanse of the table between them offering only a vague kind of safety.

“I never did get you alone in that house. The bunker was so...impersonal. All business and no play. Imagine the things we could have done in private,”

The inside of her cheek nipped where she was biting down to stop her face betraying her. Heat rose up her neck as she rubbed her thighs together to try and stop the ache his presence was creating. She’d always found him attractive and she swore she would take it to her grave that she'd moaned his name while she came on her own fingers. The others, the resistance, they would never forgive her.

Except perhaps Adelaide.

“Well, it’s just going to have to stay in your imagination,” Rey said, her voice huskier than before, clearing her thought to try and pass it all off as nothing. John knew better.

“Why? I assume you came here for a little bit of honesty? I’d have had you tied to that bed and begging for me,”

Now she knew she was definitely blushing, the collar of her shirt tightening around her throat. Her skin tingled, prickling with sensation, imagining her body tied down against his expensive designer sheets.

John tilted his head thoughtfully.

“I’d start by teasing that little cunt of yours until you were dripping. I’d mark your thighs with my teeth, I’d bring you right to the edge over and over until tears were running down that pretty face. You’d be aching to cum for me,” 

Speechless, the shock was evident on Rey’s face, the horror conspicuously missing. John leaned further towards her, Rey mirroring his movements unconsciously. 

“If you’re a good girl, I’ll stuff you full of my cock and fuck you until your legs were just for show. I’ll suck those nipples until you can’t stand it anymore. I’ll use you as my own personal fucktoy and you’ll thank me for it,” he whispered.

She wasn’t breathing. The low timbre of his voice, his words not a threat but a promise, had her stomach in knots. Her underwear felt uncomfortably damp and for all she should have slapped the back teeth from his mouth, Rey couldn’t deny that everything he’d said was what her body wanted. 

Even with the table between them, he was so close to her, enough to smell the expensive spiced cologne he’d somehow smuggled in. All she needed to do was just stretch a little more, just a little further…

“Alright Seed, visitation time is up!”

The moment the door opened John sat back in his chair, his face the picture of innocence. The guard came forward to uncuff him from the table, preparing to march him back to his cell. John grinned openly at Rey.

“Deputy, always a pleasure.”

He was escorted from the room, Rey still sitting back in her chair dumbstruck by their exchange. Her own escort arrived at the door behind her.

“Are you alright, ma’am? You look a little flushed,”

Only as she was leaving, Rey realised her notebook was still in her pocket and none of the questions she’d wanted to ask had been answered.

00000

“Name?”

“You literally saw me a few days ago,” Rey muttered, the guard on the desk glancing up at her with the least bothered expression she’d ever seen.

“Name?” He repeated.

“Rhiannon Jackson. Hope County sheriff's department,”

Having to go through the full checking in process every time was enough to make her think twice about returning, but she had questions and he was going to answer them.

Being escorted to the same room, Rey was surprised to see John was already there and two cups of coffee were on the table.

“Rey, you’re looking lovely today,” he smiled, easily removing one of his hands from the cuffs to reach for his cup. Rey blinked at the setup.

“You’re not attached to the table? Is...is that coffee?!” she spluttered in astonishment, taking her seat. John nodded, the smug smile still on his face. One of his hands was still locked in but clearly he was pleased with himself.

“I think I remember how you take it,” he said, “I overheard your order enough at Rosanne’s place.”

The scent of the coffee under her nose as she lifted the cup tentatively towards her face took her straight back to Rosanne’s diner by the Fall’s End crossroads. Every morning, before the botched arrest, Rey would shuffle in with a dozy smile, the smell of the fresh brew, sizzling bacon and baked pies bringing her to life. 

More often than not, she’d see John there at the crack of dawn. Sometimes alone, sometimes with followers behind him. Each time they’d exchange a few words, those words growing more barbed the more aggressive the cult became. When she couldn’t sleep, Rey used to wonder if she missed that version of him.

“Hmm. Smells like the real thing,” she mused.

“Of course it’s the real thing,” John chuckled, offended at her suspicion, “Do you think I’d waste my bribe money on instant?”

“Nice to hear you straight up saying that you’re bribing officers,” she smirked, “Clearly the microphones that are supposed to be in this room are off too. Another perk you paid for?”

“Naturally,” he nodded, “I was thrilled to see you’d decided to pay me another visit. Just couldn’t stay away?”

“Actually, I had questions to ask you and your...attitude last time derailed me,” 

Rey put down her cup to pull the notepad from her pocket. John simply lounged back in his chair, enjoying the control he had over the situation.

“And I’ll bet you haven’t stopped thinking about it…”

“You thought wrong!” Rey snapped indignantly. John laughed lightly.

“Bullshit darling, I am living in your mind rent-free,” he declared confidently, “You coming back here has nothing to do with those questions,”

Rey looked down at the table, suddenly very interested in the cup, the notebook, anywhere except the piercing gaze he was shooting her. Her back teeth were grinding, annoyed that her usual controlled expression just didn’t seem to work whenever he was around. He could read her easily and every minute in his company meant he only learned more of her tells.

“There is still an investigation going on. There are still people missing. Our work didn’t end when your family got put behind bars,” She said firmly, “Now, Mr Seed…”

“John,”

“John…” she corrected, “The people you were keeping at black horse peak, we need to know where you moved them to before you were arrest-”

“You have the most beautiful eyes,” he said smoothly, leaning forward on the table for a closer look, “I bet they would sparkle looking up at me from your knees while I had a handful of your hair,”

Choking on her own shocked inhale wasn’t the smoothest Rey had ever felt, but the rush of heat to her face and the jolt of pleasure between her thighs had her brain overwhelmed. He certainly painted a tantalising image. She’d never considered herself particularly submissive but the idea of being at his mercy hadn’t left her imagination since he’d mentioned tying her to his bed. 

“I...I really need you to answer my question…”

“Come on, Rey, think about it. I’m in here so who exactly am I going to tell?” he said, his voice low, “It would be our little secret.”

“I am...not interested,” she ground out, lying through her teeth while her body ached to be touched. Forgetting entirely about his free hand, the shock of his skin on hers made her freeze, the pads of his fingers running down her bare forearm. The warmth of the contact made her shudder, her abdomen tightening while she held her breath, staring down at the tattooed hand innocently stroking her arm.

“Lying is a sin, Rey,” he said, “If you’re going to go to hell...don’t you want it to be for something a little more pleasurable?”

She had no answer for him, her brain reduced to nothing more than a garbled mess of hormones and lust. The door behind him opened, a guard telling them that the time was up. John stood when he was told, turning back to Rey one last time.

“If you change your mind, Deputy, come back and see me. I’ll be waiting,”

Rey nodded mutely, her questions still unanswered.

00000

If the first visit had played on her mind, the second consumed her thoughts the days after. 

The way he’d boldly propositioned her, as if it were nothing more than a comment on the weather, reading her body language like laws he was so fond of bending. He’d done monstrous things. The coercions, forcing people off their land, the confessions, the torture. On paper, John Seed read like a monster, but in person, he was as charming as the devil himself and twice as handsome.

It’s not that she  _ wanted _ to visit a third time, but when she’d told Whitehorse that he’d been uncooperative with both interviews, he’d only shrugged.

“You’re going to have to go back, he’s refusing to even see anyone else. He said he’ll only talk to you and dammit, we need answers!”

Of course, Rey thought. John knew what he wanted and worse, he knew she was on the cusp of giving it to him. She screwed up her face climbing into the driver's seat of her SUV, knowing that she was trying to find reason where there was none.

Would it  _ really _ be so bad to just give in? He’d said it himself it would be their little secret and it’s not like she had feelings for him. Nope, the only feelings she had for John Seed was a primal attraction, lust and a sprinkling of annoyance. As long as it remained that way, Rey felt like there was a case to be made.

This trip was different. Dressed in her casual clothes, her hair down, Rey wasn’t visiting on behalf of her department. She didn’t need the timestamp being logged on the system and the inevitable questions that would follow. Instead, she’d called ahead, registering as a civilian. 

“Name?”

“Oh, Jesus Christ…”

“Name?”

“Rhiannon Jackson,” she snorted, “Let me guess, the hair being down threw you off?”

Her sarcasm did nothing, the guard looking as bored and unimpressed as ever, shoving her the visitors pass to clip to her chest. This time the pass looked different, a small blue circle with 24 stamped inside. Thinking nothing of it, she followed her escort through the corridors. When they didn’t stop at the usual room, she frowned.

“Excuse me, aren’t we going to interview room 2?” she asked, pointing back to the room they’d passed. The guard shook his head and continued walking.

“Not today, ma’am. You’re booked in for a different visit,” he said without any hint as to what that visit was. They took a right turn, entering a section of the prison Rey had never seen before. Before the guard opened the door they'd stopped in front of, he turned to her.

“You have 24 hours. Food and water had been provided in the refrigerator. I am legally obligated to remind you that this room is not being monitored and you will be left alone with the inmate at your own risk, the waiver you signed on entry attests to this. If you require assistance, there is a red button on the wall next to the door. Do you understand?”

“Yes,” Rey mumbled, immediately mouthing ‘what the fuck’ when he turned his back to open the door.

_ Oh, Jesus take the wheel… _

There was a bed in the room. A small kitchen. An en suite bathroom. Hell, there was even a sofa and a tv. The whole place looked like a students first dorm room with a few luxuries scattered around that looked so out of place, only John could have arranged for them to be there. 

The door closed behind her, leaving her alone to explore the room. When it opened again, Rey spun around in surprise, her heartbeat in her throat. Anxious energy was building, she could feel it rushing through her veins with every pump of her heart, forcing her to rock on her heels or move her hands. Anything to cure the itch.

John sauntered into the room, the door slamming shut behind him and the lock loudly clicking into place. Rey watched him approach, assuming she resembled a nervous deer ready to bolt. He had her in his crosshairs, watching her in turn to see what she would do.

“This...this isn’t our usual,” she babbled, any attempt at flippancy impossible given the heat from his stare. 

“It’s not exactly 5 stars but I thought we deserved something a little more comfortable,” he smiled, reaching out to play with a strand of her hair, twirling it around his fingers, “I like you with your hair down. You suit it,”

“Thank you,” she mumbled bashfully, turning to walk towards the bed. She needed space, time to think and make sense of what was going to happen.

She could feel his presence behind her, the heat of his body radiating against her back, his hands trailing from her wrists to her shoulders. She sighed, her head tipping back against his chest as he gently peeled her buffalo check shirt from her shoulders, dropping it to the floor.

“You’re overthinking this,” he murmured, his breath hot against her ear, “Let go. You know I can give you everything that you want. Just say what I want to hear?”

That word. Three stupid letters that haunted her through Holland Valley, sprayed onto buildings and billboards or standing tall in white over the whole region. She’d sworn she would never say it.

So much for that moral code.

“Yes,” 

She felt oddly at ease as if the stress of holding her urges back had melted away the moment she’d consented. He smiled against her skin, pressing featherlight kisses from her shoulder. She gasped when his teeth nipped at her ear, his hand reaching into her hair to grip with just enough tension.

The other reached around her waist, pulling her tightly against him. The thin prison-issue uniform doing nothing to hide how hard he was already. Dexterous fingers began to unclip her belt, her breaths coming in excited pants as he pawed at her clothing which felt now altogether too restrictive. She squirmed in his grip, his hand finally slipping past her waistband to tease the front of her slit through her panties. For all his control, Rey could have sworn she felt his breathing stutter.

“God, you’re so wet already. It’s going to be a joy watching you fall apart,” he growled, the pads of his fingers still rubbing her through the ruined fabric. Rey moaned unbidden as he pulled lightly on her hair, his lips assaulting her neck. It was good, so good, but now she was all in, she needed more.

“Please...I want you,” she was babbling, breathless as he continued to run wild on her senses, unsure what she was even asking him for. John’s throaty chuckle by her ear did nothing to help her control. He turned her, pushing her back. In a flurry of motion that she could barely comprehend, he’d pulled off her boots, grabbing the waistband and belt of her jeans and violently yanking them free in one untidy motion.

Her skin prickled in the cool air of the room, stripping off her tank top to join the rest of her discarded clothes. There was no point in being self-conscious, any shame she’d had was checked at the damn desk along with her gun. Her legs fell open to him as he stared down at her hungrily.

Nothing was moving fast enough for her liking, John taking his time as he lifted his shirt over his head. The scales of justice on his sternum rippled across his abs, flanked by scars of his past sins. Lust had been etched into his skin, just by his Adonis belt and Rey wondered if she’d be deserving of the same by the end of her visit. John reached for her belt, inspecting the leather with a grin.

“It’s a shame you didn’t bring cuffs with you but this will do nicely,” he said, “Hands above your head,”

She did as she was told, almost groaning when he straddled her body to reach her hands. The belt felt tight around her wrists, securing her to the railings of the headboard. She tugged a few times, testing the pull and knowing she’d be going nowhere until he allowed her to. The thought only made her gut tighten with anticipation.

“Aren’t you a sight?” he crooned, kissing his way down her naked body, stopping to suck feverishly on a nipple, her back arching into the touch. His teeth scraped across her hip bone, settling himself between her thighs. Throwing her legs over his shoulders, he blew across her folds, rewarded with a high pitched whine of need.

“Please, John,” she breathed, her skin feeling entirely too tight for her body as she burned from the inside for him.

“She knows how to ask nicely. I like that,” He licked a single path through her, teasing her hole before travelling to circle her clit in uncertain patterns. When he latched on, sucking the sensitive bud between his lips, she almost jolted upright, the restraints around her arms causing the bed to rock.

“Oh my God, just like that!” 

He was holding onto her thighs to keep her down, her hips unconsciously grinding into the motions he was creating, his beard only adding to the amazing friction. His grip tightened with one arm, the other slipping away to pull her lips open, sliding two fingers in with ease.

“So wet for me...so fucking messy already. You taste like heaven,” he rumbled against her. Before she could protest the loss of his mouth, he was back, the heat of it making her moan as his tongue flicked over her clit.

“I’m so close...Oh God, please...please let me cum!” she pleaded, needy and desperate as he drove her closer to the edge. 

“Patience,” John smiled against her. 

His fingers twisted slightly, tentatively searching for the right spot and knowing he’d found it when she squealed. John was smiling like he was the only one in on what was happening, changing the motion until his hand was rocking up and down, the curve of his fingers building a more intense pleasure and pressure that she’d never felt before.

“John! Oh, fuck...fuck...please,” she was babbling, the intense sensations rendering her dumb, a kind of liquid heat pooling at her hips. She pulled frantically at her bonds, needing to grab hold of something,  _ anything, _ but it was no use. 

“It’s alright darling, let go. Cum for me,”

His tongue delicately circled her clit, so sensitive now she could barely handle the contact. She squirmed under him, the pressure broke as his fingers worked faster. A raw wail was ripped from her throat as she convulsed on the bed, her whole body tensing as she came with a gush of heat that rushed from her. His hand worked her through all of it, the lewd, wet smacking down joining her moans until she finally relaxed, gasping for breath on the soaked sheets. She’d never cum so hard in her life.

He pulled his hand away, evidence of her release damp on the front of his prison-issue trousers. He wiped his face smugly, kicking off the last of his clothing. Naked, he drew himself up against her body, his solid cock dragging across her skin. He took her lips in his urgently and she realised, this was the first time she’d actually kissed him. The taste of her was still lingering on his tongue.

“If I do nothing else before I die, I’m going to make you squirt like that again,” he growled. 

He sat back on his heels, watching her with blow pupils darkening his blue eyes where she lay still tied to the bed, naked and panting for him like an angel. She was watching him intently, her mouth going dry as he took himself in hand, lazily pumping his cock in front of her. Growing bold with her impatience, Rey attempted to hook her heel around the back of his leg, trying to encourage him forward. As strong as she was, John remained steadfast until he was good and ready. Lowering himself forward, he bracketed her between his hands.

“So impatient,” he teased between kisses, “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you so needy, darling,”

“Stop teasing me, it’s not fair,” she knew she was whining but she didn’t care. All pretence of shame was gone, replaced with the intense need for the man hovering above her to fuck her as he’d promised.

“It’s not fair?” he repeated, his smile only growing. Pushing his hips forward, his cock ground through her slit, the head of him nudging her over sensitive clit bit never actually pushing home, “How about now? Do you think  _ this _ is fair?”

His movements were slow, a lazy drag through her folds as she gasped and squirmed below him. Light moans escaped him and it was a small comfort that his confident controlled facade was starting to crumble. Leaning on one hand, the other slid down her body to line himself with her entrance.

“Eyes on me, angel,” he demanded, but Rey struggled to do as he asked when he slowly began to push in, her eyes fluttering and rolling back as she felt him pulse inside. He slowly withdrew only to slam his hips back, the power of his thrust smacking the bed against the wall. He repeated the action again, and again, the drag of his cock against her sensitive cunt making her cry out each time.

“Jesus, you’re so tight. Look at you taking my cock so well,” he praised, sitting back on his knees to hold open her thighs and take in the sight himself. He was slamming into her, Rey helpless to do anything except take it all and she loved it.

“Just think of all the things I’m going to do to you, darling. I’ll have you dripping with my cum from every hole by the time we’re done here,” he growled, his fingers digging into her soft skin, branding her with his touch.

“I need...fuck, touch me...I’m so close,” Her wrists burned where the leather was beginning to rub, desperate to pull away from the headboard.

“I know what you need. Only I get to make you cum,” He gave her a particularly sharp thrust causing her to cry out, “You’re being such a good girl for me, I knew you could take it. Does it feel good taking my cock?”

“Yes! So good…” she panted, barely able to string together an understandable sentence as he pounded into her.

"I've wanted this for so long," he groaned, "You don't know how many nights I've thought of you like this, screaming out my name...I want to hear you say it when you cum,"  His hand slipped between them, frantically circling her clit. Her whole body tensed, moans becoming more desperate the closer she came. 

“Like that, just like that...oh my God, don’t stop!” she cried out, the leather of the belt cutting into her wrists but she didn’t care, she felt nothing except him as she began to convulse around him, her thighs shuddering violently as she rode out waves of pleasure, "Fuck...John, John, John!"

Completely spent, she lay back on the bed limp and sated, her thigh still occasionally twitching. John’s hips stuttered, losing pace when he followed with a primal groan. He only just caught his own weight, collapsing forward on top of her, peppering her sweat covered neck with kisses.

“Jesus fucking Christ, that was incredible,” he breathed, rolling to his back next to her. Rey shifted uncomfortably, his spend dripping down her thigh.

“John, could you…” she gestured to her hands, still secure above her head.

“Oh shit,” The mattress shifted when he sat up quickly, untangling the mess he’d made trying to ensure she didn’t escape. Rey’s shoulders ached, the skin around her wrists burning.

“Fuck,” she muttered inspecting her arm. Along the side of her left wrist, against the bone, was a strip where the skin had been rubbed away. Now the haze of hormones was starting to ebb, it burned furiously.

“Alright?” John asked, settling himself back down next to her on the bed. Rey shrugged.

“Just some skinned wrists. It’s not bad but it's stinging like hell,”

“Let me see,” he asked, taking her hand in his and inspecting the injury, “I can fix this. Stay there!”

“Where else am I going to go?” Rey smirked, "We're in a prison," She watched as he stood, naked as the day he was born, to cross the room. He searched the cupboards of the small kitchen, pulling out a little green box, “What are you doing?”

“I told you. I can fix that,” he said, coming back to the bed and opening the first aid kit. Rey watched him soak a cotton ball in antiseptic, dumbstruck at the sudden change in demeanour, “Well, maybe not fix it, but I can make sure it doesn’t get infected.”

“Who...the fuck...are you?” Rey asked, her face still confused, “Just when I think I have you all figured out, you take a sudden left turn. You're giving me whiplash, Johnny boy,” 

She winced as he cleaned the cut, the pair still sitting naked on the well-fucked bed. Quietly finishing his work, John looked her in the eye as he kissed her small wound, a secret smile on his face.

“I’m John Seed, darling, and I take care of my things.”

00000

The bastard was right, she had thanked him.

In the 24 hours they’d spent together, she’d cum more times than she thought possible. She raked her nails down his tattooed back, he'd left teeth marks on her thighs, her hips, her ribs. The bed had been completely ruined and they’d made a sporting go of wrecking the sofa too. They’d also laughed and joked, they’d talked like regular people. They'd even watched a movie together. The kiss he’d left her with had been so achingly sweet, so full of feeling she'd never anticipated, she’d been left too breathless to say goodbye properly. Leaving the prison had felt oddly difficult.

If he hadn’t been living in her mind rent-free before, he’d certainly moved in now. Rey was sick of herself, her alone time spent pining for a psychopath that she’d never admit out loud she was missing.  In the middle of sulking on her sofa, a twinkie on its way to her mouth, her phone rang.

“Will you accept a call from Montana State Penitentiary?” the operator asked. Rey agreed, “Connecting you now.”

The connecting tone couldn’t be heard over her own heart thundering in her ears. Finally, she heard the voice she’d been longing for.

“Deputy, what are you doing next weekend?” John asked, his voice like velvet on the end of the line, “As it turns out, I’ve been a good boy and earned some conjugal time. 48 hours in fact. I believe you still have some questions for me,”

Rey grinned.


	6. Heat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Omega Rey has a serious problem when Alpha John triggers her heat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **ABO AU**

“Give her all the wrath she can handle, brothers!”

His voice over the tannoy, mocking the escape he’d forced her to make, urging her to become wrath when all she felt like doing was curling in on herself. His scent still permeated her nostrils, spinning her senses until she could barely tell which way was up.

She’d known the minute she’d seen his arrogant, smarmy manner addressing her via his commercial that he was an Alpha. Tied to a chair in the confined space of the bunker, the whole place reeked of him. Pine, black pepper, gunpowder.

God, she wished she hated it.

Having him so close, it hit her like a sledgehammer, knocking her instincts completely haywire. She’d forced herself to run when he’d offered her the chance when every part of her wanted to rip the damn waistcoat from his body and have him take her.

A wave of nausea knocked her to the ground, her fingers gripping into the grass with white knuckles and gritted teeth. She was burning up from the inside, her gut twisting.

“Fuck. No. No way,” she groaned, struggling to her feet, trying to take in her surroundings.

She had to get somewhere safe, somewhere she could lock herself away. An Omega going into heat without a mate was enough to cause bloodlust in even the most sensible Alphas and she would soon be in no state to defend herself.

There was forest as far as the eye could see, but if she was right about where she suspected she was, there was an abandoned hunting cabin nestled in the trees.

Her chest felt like it was on fire, her breathing beginning to shallow. She continued to stagger on, hoping she found what she needed soon.

00000

She smelled like sunshine.

Sunshine, fresh grass, vanilla and no fear. She’d stared back at him with more defiance than he’d ever seen, her jaw clenching as he leaned over her, inhaling her scent for himself.

When she’d appeared at the cell door, her eyes ablaze with more than wrath, he should have been as angry but he was excited. Her scent grew more potent with every passing minute and he knew he was the reason.

She could run, gorge herself on wrath but he knew she would never be satisfied. It wasn’t what she needed. John smiled viciously.

It was time to hunt.

00000

The old hunting cabin was hardly luxurious.

Sparsely decorated and fit for its purpose, but Rey didn’t mind. It could have been a rat-infested pit for all she cared, stumbling inside and slamming the door shut before collapsing on the bed. She groaned, curling in on herself as another ripple of cramps hit her.

It was as if her skin was too tight, her body pulsing with an unmet need. She ripped her shirt off, throwing it to the floor along with her boots and jeans. It was a futile attempt to cool down in the stuffy little building, but it was her only option.

Her mating gland throbbed, stinging with an accusation that she wasn’t doing her job as an Omega. She was exhausted, beginning to shiver despite the scalding blood pumping through her veins.

“Fuck John Seed.” She hissed, falling to a fetal position on the bed, “Fuck his stupid Alpha scent, these stupid hormones and fuck Eden’s Gate!”

Tears began to well unbidden, spilling over her lashes to drip onto the bed.

Why him? Of all the Alphas in Hope County, it was his scent that caused a spark, that woke her primal instincts. While her mind was still somewhat her own, she wondered if he felt anything, if he even realised what his presence had done to her.

There was no way he couldn’t have known what she was. She’d seen the muscle below his eye jump, his nostrils flaring as he leaned into her. He knew and like the fucking sadist he was, he would leave her to suffer.

“Fucking asshole.”

00000

It was difficult to feel as smug as he had once his instincts had begun to kick into high gear.

The muscles around his neck were solid, quivering with tension as his scent glands pulsed. He’d scented her, but she wasn’t nearby and now his territorial instincts were punishing him for letting his Omega out of his sight.

John snorted as he marched through the forest towards her last seen location. She wasn’t his Omega. Something he’d needed to bitterly remind himself of more than once.

Life had always dealt him a cruel hand, why not another?

He’d scoffed at Jacob’s suggestion of using drones to scope out his region, but now John was grateful. The last images he’d seen were of her barely in control, barging her way into an old hunting cabin.

He stopped as he spied the cabin, her scent thick on the breeze. A growl caught the back of his throat. Her heat was in full swing now, he could smell it. 

By the time he reached the small building, he was almost at a full run, practically smashing the wooden door into splinters as he barged through.

The air was saturated with her scent, clogging his throat and sending signals to his Alpha brain that she was in heat, in distress and he needed to do something. From her place on the bed, she blinked up at him in astonishment, bleary-eyed and soaked with slick and sweat.

“Well, look at you.” John awed, attempting his usual levity and failing completely.

His voice was too low, too husky. The way his eyes trailed her, pupils blown wide, jaw clenching, it gave him away completely.

“John? Wha...what the fuck are you doing here?” She groaned, her body screaming now he was in the same room.

John threw off his long coat, making quick work of his shirt. It only served to make his scent more potent, Rey gritting her teeth to keep from whimpering.

“Isn’t it obvious?”

“No, fuck you! You did this to me.” She hissed, lacking the strength of conviction to push him away as he straddled her body on the bed.

He grabbed her wrists, pinning her arms above her head, his nose tracing her neck as she arched her body against him.

“You smell like heaven.” he purred, pulling back to look her in the eye, “Like you were made for me. Tell me you want this, Omega...and I’ll make it all better.”

His weight on top of her was blissful, hips grinding of their own accord, desperately seeking any kind of relief. Common sense had long passed and she didn’t see her enemy. He was an Alpha and exactly what she’d been crying out for.

“Yes, Alpha.” She breathed, “Please…”

“You beg so sweetly .” He whispered against her lips, the first taste of her on his tongue more compelling than any drug from his past.

He rapidly shed the last of his clothes, his cock solid as it bobbed free. There was no remorse as he pulled at her clothes, her ruined panties following it to the floor.

His hand lingered around her throat, fingers gently caressing her neck as if he was contemplating violence. It began to drift, stroking down her body, skimming her nipple and stomach until he reached between her thighs.

“You’re ruined, aren’t you?” He teased, his fingers circling her swollen clit, “Do you want this? I can make it all better, you know what to say.”

The delay was paining him as much as her, but he had to remind her who was in control. Rey almost sobbed, whining high pitched and desperate.

“Yes! Please, fuck...yes!” She begged, bordering on delirious with her need.

For all he was enjoying the sound of her pleading with him, his Alpha nature was growing frustrated, almost anxious, at the sound of her distress.

“I’ve got you.” He growled, his tongue licking at her gland as he pushed his way past her folds, both moaning.

His head dropped to her neck, every part of her slicked cunt holding him. Her chest still heaved with the stress her body was under, but for the first time in so many hours, Rey finally felt some form of relief.

“Fuck, you feel amazing,” he growled, holding her eyes as he rolled his hips, his hair flopping forward, sweat beading on his brow.

“Oh my God, so good!” She babbled, gripping his shoulders, his nails raking across his skin hard.

There was nothing gentle about pace, moving with sharp thrusts that rocked the old bed against the wall. A carnal combination of moans and growls, licks, bites and scratches.

She was invading every one of his senses, her hips rocking to meet every one of his thrusts with equal aggression. His lips met the junction between her neck and shoulder, the mating gland below pulsing for him.

“Please...Alpha, please.”

It was her heat, it had to be. She was frenzied with heat, with him. There was no way she could know what she was asking for.

But the idea of her being bound to no-one else but him? That was appealing.

She was close, her walls clenching around him as her breathing caught.

“Say you’ll be mine?” He demanded, “You’ll never be alone again.”

“Yes, John!”

It was consent enough. His teeth pushed her over the edge, the lines between pleasure and pain blurring. She cried out his name, clinging to him. He could taste her blood on his tongue, moaning as he licked at the scar, his knot swelling to lock them together.

He kissed her as she came, warmth gushing over his cock, his release following hers with a guttural moan. He collapsed on top of her, catching his weight on his forearms, both gasping for breath.

He rolled them onto the side, Rey’s leg thrown over his hip as his knot twitched inside her. She looked peaceful, sated, smiling at him with glazed eyes.

So different from the defiant hate she’d glared at him before.

His gaze darted to the perfect bite mark, red and raised. He smiled with pride, already sensing the change in her newly mated scent.

“What are you thinking?”

John eyed her curiously. Her eyes were barely staying open. Smiling gently, he kissed her with uncharacteristic tenderness.

“Go to sleep.”

00000

He’d watched her as she slept.

Since knowing her, he’d seen all manner of emotions cross her face but this, peace, might have been his favourite.

Every feature was relaxed. There was no tension between her brows, her jaw unclenched. Her chest was rising and falling with calm, even breathing. On closer inspection, he could have sworn the corners of her lips were upturned in a hint of a smile.

His knot had gone down hours ago, allowing him the chance to withdraw so he could at least grab his coat for them. The Ritz this hunting cabin was not, and with night descended, it was starting to get cold.

She had whined in her sleep when he moved, the absence of his warmth next to her. He’d smiled, wrapping her back in his arms and them both in his jacket.

Feeling wanted, needed, was so foreign to him.

Slowly she began to stir, taking a deep breath and purring as she stretched her neck.

“What time is it?” She asked, yawning mid-sentence.

“Sun isn’t up yet.” John shrugged, “Late or early depending on your perception of things.”

Rey took a moment to gather her thoughts, her surroundings and their time together creating a complete picture of what happened.

She hated how warm he was, with his stupid Alpha blood always running hot. She hated his mouth-watering scent, how his arms were holding her close to his crooning chest and most of all, she hated how much she didn’t really hate it.

Something ached around her neck. The way they had gone at it, everything ached but the point by her gland was especially tender. She reached up tentatively, her fingers grazing the very prominent bite mark.

John watched realisation sink in, her hazel eyes wide and growing angrier by the second.

“You...you didn’t…” she stammered.

John made an innocent face, running his tongue over the edge of his front teeth. Rey jumped up from the bed, taking the coat with her, leaving John to cover himself with the ratty blanket on the bed.

“You fucking asshole!” She ground out through gritted teeth.

“Hey, come on, you bit me too…” John shrugged, sitting up on the bed as Rey paced the floor.

“You mated me!” She hissed levelling, “That is very different!”

“In my defence, you asked me to!” He declared, raising his voice.

“I was in heat and you’re an Alpha, of course, I fucking asked!” She screamed, “But a nice guy would have refused, or ignored it!”

John gave her a cheeky smile.

“Oh deputy, have I ever come across as a nice guy to you?”

Rey growled with frustration, torn between her common sense and her biology. Either she would skin him alive or fuck him to death. Both sounded good.

The fond smile on his face and his eyes watching her pace made her stop.

“What?” She asked defensively.

“My mate is so cute wearing my coat.”

“Oh my God, shut up!” She groaned, rolling her eyes, “This is...I just …”

“Look, you can’t tell me that you don’t feel something,” he pressed, jumping up to stand in front of her, the old ruined blanket still around his waist, “Why do you think your heat started, huh? Because I’m not just any Alpha, I’m your Alpha.”

Rey opened her mouth to speak but no words would come. His scent saturated into every thread on his coat, the warmth of it seeping into her bones. It was telling her to keep calm, that everything was safe and not to fight it.

“Why don’t we discuss this somewhere else?” John suggested, “We can go back to my ranch and-“

“I’m not going anywhere with you!” Rey snapped.

John stared at her in the manner a parent regarded a child.

“ Really? What are you going to do, stay here? In case you didn’t notice there’s no food or water here.” He pointed out, “Even if you didn’t starve to death, you’re still in heat. You’re calm for now but soon you’ll spike again and you’ll be begging for my cum!”

Rey sneered at his crass choice of words, ignoring how his tone made her stomach flip. Annoyingly, he made a valid point. She shuddered as he reached for her, holding the sides of her jaw in his palms, looking at her with that tenderness she barely knew he had.

“Let me take care of you.” He was almost pleading.

Reluctantly, Rey nodded. Being in his luxury home did seem better than their current situation.

“Why?” She asked, the whole thing exhausting her.

John grinned.

“You’re my mate.”

Fucking asshole…

00000

“You’re so good, you take my cock so well in that perfect little cunt” John praised, driving into her from behind.

His hand spread between her shoulder blades, pressing her chest into the soft of the mattress, the pillows muffling her frenzied moans.

One knee up, the other balancing on the bed as he worked her raw, holding her hips with a bruising grip. He’d never felt an Omega like her as she pushed back with her hips, meeting him thrust for thrust.

By the time they’d made it to his home, she was under the influence of her heat once more, desperate and frenzied. Clothes littered the floor, a trail from the stairs to the bed.

Days of hiding away, animalistic ruts and stolen moments. Rey was finding it hard to remember that he was the same Baptist who had tried to drown her.

He was still a sarcastic asshole. So full of his own importance, but she found without the persona, he was almost fun to talk with.

She’d deny it to anyone who asked.

“That’s it, angel, let them all hear you,” he moaned, “Cum for me, let me feel you take my knot!”

His hand snaked around her waist, circling her clit to push her into the abyss. His knot heralding his own release as he fell over her back, pressing messy kisses to the mark he’d given her. She moaned and trembled as he worked her through it, filling her with his spend.

He carefully rolled them to the side, an easier task on his comfortable king-size bed. She shuddered, feeling his beard tickle her neck. Their collective breathing began to settle again.

“I know, I know. Best heat you’ve ever had.” He teased smugly.

Rey snorted, rolling her eyes with a dozy smile.

“It’s different, anyway.” She shrugged.

“Like how?”

“Well, I’m actually with an Alpha for one thing,” she explained nonchalantly, “ Normally I’d just get through it myself. No big deal.”

“No, it is a big deal,” John replied with irritation. Even with him behind her, she could hear the scowl on his face, “You let yourself suffer like that?”

“You’re one to talk,” she fired back, “What happened to suffering being necessary for life or whatever nonsense you guys spout ?”

“That is not the same thing. That’s confessing your sins,” he ground out.

“It’s cute that you’re pretending to care,” She sniggered, “Didn’t seem to mind much when you tied me to that fucking chair.”

John moved to open his mouth but found he was lost for words. The idea of her distress, her torment had never bothered him before. Now it was making his shoulders tense, a protective growl catching in the back of his throat. She was his mate, she was his to protect.

“Didn’t your parents ever talk you through things?” he asked quietly, trying to move the subject along. He felt her shift uncomfortably.

“I, Uh, I don’t have parents.”

“Oh.”

Good going, Seed.

“I mean, I obviously have parents, but...I’ve never met them.” Rey continued, muttering a hasty explanation, “I was found on the steps of some Brooklyn police station. Got bounced around the foster system a lot.”

“I’m sorry,” John said simply. It had been a long time since he’d said those words and meant them.

She could have sworn the arm around her waist tightened.

“I don’t know why I just told you that,” Rey mumbled.

John smiled behind her. His well-honed skill of being able to coax secrets from people effortlessly was something he had always taken advantage of. It was why he was so effective as the Eden's Gate confessor.

“I was adopted,” John offered, “It...isn't the happy ending it should have been.”

“I’m sorry.” Rey echoed, feeling John shrug behind her.

“Don’t be. Everything happens for a reason,” he offered, kissing her mating mark, “Even this.”

Rey was glad he couldn’t see her smile.

00000

Rey’s heat lasted a total of five days.

When he’d sunk his teeth into her mating gland, the only thing he’d really been concerned about was domination. She’d be bound to him and nobody else for the rest of their days. It had been a while since his last biology class but the rest of the changes were unexpected to both of them.

Being MIA for so long, John had to tell Joseph so that his region would remain under control. Leaving the bedroom she was in had been inexplicably difficult. He returned to find Rey in panic despite his scent being all over the room. She was still in heat and her Alpha had left her, that was all her biology knew.

What it gave them was time. Time to talk between ruts, to grow closer and find common ground that neither expected. On the fifth day when her final wave had passed, he’d offered her his waterfall shower. The smile she had given him, genuine and affectionate, had taken his breath away.

Changing into some clothes she’d found in storage, Rey felt like a new woman. Her skin glowed and eyes sparkled, finally free of her heat. John’s mood was turning sour. They’d created a world for themselves inside his bedroom. There was no cult, no resistance, nothing to get in the way, but now it was over. It was over, and she would leave.

“What’s wrong with you?” She asked as they walked down the stairs, John storming ahead, “Hey, I’m talking to you!”

“Nothing,” John muttered.

Scowling, Rey followed him down and out the back door, the warm fresh air prickling her skin.

“ Clearly it’s not so talk to me,” She demanded, grabbing him by the arm to spin him around.

“You’re leaving!” he snapped, his cool eyes hard.

She stopped short, letting go of his arm as if it had burned her.

“I...I didn’t say that…”

“No, but it’s obvious that’s what’s about to happen. You’ll go back to your little resistance. The next time your heat hits you’ll either lock yourself away or find some other Alpha to fuck, but you know what, angel? You’re never going to find another Alpha that can make you scream like I can-”

Slapping him felt satisfying, despite the stinging in her hand. John blinked at her as he stretched out his jaw, his cheek turning scarlet.

“ Honestly, stupid fucking stubborn know it all Alphas!” she growled, tilting her chin up at him in defiance, “You didn’t ask me, you assumed. Well, I don’t want to leave. I don’t want another Alpha. I wanted to stay with you.”

“You did?” His voice was smaller, far more unsure, the fire diminished, “Why?”

“You’re my mate.” She declared, offering him a weak smile, her eyes tearing, “You’re my god damn mate and I don’t want to leave you!”

Inches apart, he regarded her carefully. Her heat was over, there was nothing clouding her judgement and she still wanted to stay. Wordlessly, his hand cupped the back of her head, his lips capturing her own.

She melted, her hands gripping his shoulders. Standing delicately on her toes, she moaned lightly against his tongue. For days they’d shared each other, chasing hedonistic bliss together on sweat-soaked sheets. It all paled in comparison to their first real kiss.

“You’re staying?” he asked, catching his breath.

“I’m staying.” She confirmed.

John kissed her again, chaste and sweet.

“That’s probably for the best. I’d have hated to chain you up in the bunker,” he commented casually, taking Rey’s hand to show her around the grounds.

Rey sighed.

“See, I wish I knew if you were joking…”


	7. Young Heathens (Part 2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Following on from Young Heathens, Rey still needs some answers to her questions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prison AU
> 
> Chapter warnings: Extremely NSFW, Squirting, Multiple Orgasm

“Name?”

“Are you fucking kidding me?!”

The sound of Rey’s foot tapping impatiently on the worn lino of the prison check-in stopped as she leaned her hands forward on the desk, despite the clear sign telling her to stand back. Brows knitting together over irritated hazel eyes, she glared down at the man behind the desk.

“You  _ know _ my name,” she said, “You see me here often enough.”

Really, had Rey been thinking clearly, the prospect of the man not knowing her name would have been appealing. The last thing she needed was a dirty rumour flying around about her and known cultist, John Seed. As far as the Sheriff's department was concerned, she was there to ask him questions because she was the only one he would talk to. They didn’t know that her visits were almost 48 hours at a time.

“You know what?” Rey leaned over the desk to squint at his name badge, “Kevin. Your name is Kevin. There, now I know your name and I’m going to remember that for the rest of my life...because I’m polite!”

Kevin slid her pass towards her and in a moment of minute victory, Rey could have sworn she saw the corners of his mouth twitch.

“Deposit any contraband or firearms at the next window,” he instructed, giving her nothing else.

The feelings mingling around her gut weren’t unexpected but over the course of a number of visits had morphed from nervous anticipation to full-blown excitement. On her last visit, the tables had turned. She’d cuffed him to the bed, giving him a show but never letting him touch. She’d edged him until he was begging for release. It was hard to think of John as intimidating now she knew just how easily she could make him moan her name.

What surprised her wasn’t their chemistry between the sheets, John more than kept his word on that front, but how easy he was to talk to. Rey found herself being drawn in. John was highly intelligent. He loved talking about philosophy, politics and arts, but more than that he was a listener, and with every conversation, Rey felt whatever defences she’d built crumble a little more. They had things in common that most wouldn’t understand. It was as soothing as it was frightening and she did her best to pass off whatever pining she did as nothing more than horny impulses.

That was her story and she was sticking to it.

She nodded along as the guard walking her to the room gave her the same speech she’d heard before. When she agreed to the terms, he let her into the room. The bed, the sofa, the TV. All of it was as it usually was. 

Rey wandered the room anxiously, her body twitching while she tried to decide to sit or stand. It didn’t matter. Moments later the lock rattled, the door swinging open. John was marched inside, a perfectly relaxed smile on his face as he smoothly thanked the guard for uncuffing him.

Rey bit her lip while John was turned away from her. She had two choices and only a second to make her decision. 

She could smile sweetly, give him the demure doe eyes and flutter her lashes while playing hard to get. It wasn’t an ideal choice. How hard to get could she really be when they were spending yet another weekend in a room specifically made for inmates to have sex? 

Maybe a witty comment would have been better? Something that showed off how totally not bothered she was to be there and how she definitely hadn’t been thinking about him between their visits. 

By the time the door had closed and John turned to her, Rey’s body had already made its choice. John barely had a second to register what was happening, his startled cry muffled by her kiss as she launched herself at him. 

His arms instinctively caught her waist, hauling her off the floor to wrap her legs around his hips as they violently clashed. She could taste the hint of smoke on his tongue, his teeth nipping at her lower lip. She gasped for breath, chest heaving when they finally parted.

“Did you miss me, deputy?” He teased, walking them towards the bed.

“Not even a little bit,” Rey replied, yelping indignantly when he deposited her onto the bed. 

Without hesitation, John crawled on top of her, pawing at her top to pull a breast free. He dipped his head to take her nipple between his lips, sucking feverishly. Rey cried out, her back arching her against his body as he teased the stiff peak with his tongue, silently promising more. Already her body felt alive with sensation, every nerve tingling.

“Well I’ve missed you,” he grinned, pulling her top and bra from her body and abandoning them to the floor, “I missed the way you moan for me.”

“Wasn’t I the one making you moan last time?” Rey breathed, squirming as his hands unbuckled her jeans, “If I remember correctly you were the one desperate for a little release.”

John sat back, stripping off the last of her clothes before pulling off his own prison-issue uniform. Naked in front of him, he gazed at her with open appreciation before grabbing her ankle to slide her under his body, Rey giggling the whole time.

“Hmm. I’ve been thinking how I could get some revenge,” he said, his cock resting on her stomach, “and I have an idea. Hands above your head.”

Rey did as she was told, barely concealing her outright grin. John climbed from the bed, only to return with a set of cuffs. He clamped them around her wrists, attaching her to the headboard. 

“I considered giving you a taste of your own medicine,” he purred, placing himself between her knees and forcing her thighs to spread, “but then I had something a little more satisfying in mind.”

“Do your worst, Johnny boy,” Rey replied boldly, “I can take it.”

John smiled wolfishly, reaching a hand forward to circle her clit slowly with his thumb. Rey gasped, moaning with delight. 

“Can you really? We’re going to play a game. You still need to ask me questions so how about this. Every time you cum for me...I’ll answer a question.”

Rey wanted to laugh at the prospect. She’d certainly never used this kind of tactic on any suspect before but it was hard to think straight when he was already stoking the heat in her belly.

“Seems fair,” she managed to say, her body already beginning to tense. John grinned.

“You say that now,” he said, leaning over her body to trail sloppy kisses down her skin, “but I’m going to give you exactly what you deserve. I’m going to make you cum again...and again...until you can barely stand it. I’m going to pull every last drop of pleasure I can from you until you’re nothing but a cum soaked mess on this mattress. Now, ask me a question.”

“Where...where did you take the rest of the converted?” She asked between breaths.

Two fingers joined the motion of his thumb, sinking into her slicked entrance with ease and curving until he found the spot that made her squeal. Rocking his hand, his thumb alternated pressure, as she struggled against the cuffs. 

“Fuck. Oh fuck, that’s it,” she babbled, her hips grinding against his hand, chasing her release. 

John’s eyes shone as he watched her, his pupils blown while his own breathing shallowed. She was desperate, writhing on the sheets under his touch, her skin beautifully flushed. 

“You know what I want, Angel,” he growled, “Let go and I’ll give you the answer,”

His pace quickened, the pressure and movement a consistent onslaught on her body until she felt something in her finally give. 

“Like that, oh God, don’t stop!” Rey came with a cry, John’s hand working her through every blissful moment. The sheets, her thighs and John’s arm were soaked but the Baptist had never looked so satisfied.

“God I love making you do that,” he smiled smugly while Rey gasped to catch her breath, “And since I did make a promise...the converted were moved out of the county. Through the tunnel up north out of the whitetail mountains.”

Rey nodded, a vague and shaky movement but truthfully she was only half-listening. Her body was still alive with sensation, blissed out and begging for whatever he wanted to do next.

“Where did...did they go from there? Which city?” She asked, her voice strained.

John licked his lip, gripping her thighs to push them apart once more.

“Another question so soon?” He teased, using his hand to pull her open, “You know what you have to do,”

She shuddered, John blowing over her clit, the cool air making her already sensitive skin prickle. Rey bit her lip, casting her eyes to the ceiling. She sharply inhaled when his tongue darted out for one teasing lick. 

“Fuck!” She hissed, her thighs straining to close as he held them open.

“What’s wrong, darling? Are we a little sensitive?” He said, punctuating his point by circling the bundle of nerves with his tongue. Rey crying out and arching from the bed was answer enough.

“You told me to do my worst,” he said, “I wonder how much you can really take?”

His movements were slow, tracing around the edge of her clit with precision that made her eyes roll back. Occasionally his pattern would shift, swiping his tongue across the nub. His reward was a high pitched moan, Rey jerking violently as she strained to catch her breath.

Still so stimulated from the first onslaught, there was no way she could hold out against the second as he began to suck gently. Her stomach tightened, a rush of heat pooling until it exploded through her body. John held her down tightly, rolling her clit between his teeth and tongue as she sobbed her second release.

“God, you’re a beautiful sight,” he awed, sitting back on his knees to look down at her as she caught her breath again. Her face was flushed, highlighted by damp cheeks as she lay with her arms still restrained above her head.

“To answer your question, they are making their way across the Canadian border towards Edmonton,” he said, sighing as he took himself in hand. He’d said it was a punishment for her but John was aching for relief of his own, his solid cock pulsing in his hand, “One more, angel?”

Her body was aching, her stomach and thigh muscles worn out from constant tension. John lined himself up with her, moaning as he dragged his head through her slick folds.

“I think you can. I think you want to cum for me one more time,” he said, watching her face as pushed in just enough to draw a gasp, teasing her with shallow thrusts, “You’ve missed this, haven’t you? Missed my cock in your tight little pussy,”

“God, yes. Give it to me,” she moaned, her throat raw. He smiled arrogantly, pushing in slowly until she had taken him whole before pulling back with equal pace. She was soaked, her cum coating his cock as he thrust languidly.

“Such a good girl, Rey,” he purred as she moaned for him, maintaining the same pace as he brought his hand back to her clit, puffy and pink from the abuse he’d already given.

“Fuck. John, fuck...so close,” he could barely make out her words, scooping her lower back to pull her closer as he picked up his pace, thrusting wildly against her swollen slit until she was screaming with abandon, her body quaking around his cock as he brought her to bliss for the third time.

“Gonna fill you up,” John growled, fucking her through it all, “You want that? You want my cum?”

She moaned and nodded but it was almost too much, the pleasure was bordering on painful as he worked her raw, his own release building as she began to shudder once more. Soaked in sweat, moaning and shaking under him, tears ran from her eyes as she came, John’s hips stuttering as he followed. 

Sated. Ruined. Rey could do nothing but lie back limp as he rolled from her. She barely registered the handcuffs being removed and his face hovering over hers.

“You alright?” he asked quickly, eyes darting to check for wounds or signs he’d gone too far. If she’d had the energy to laugh at the quick change of demeanour, she would have. Instead, she fixed a doped smile on her face and nodded her head.

“Good,” he said, sounding relieved. 

  
  
Her body limp, she felt truly well used with a warm glow of satisfaction. Later when the euphoric hormones wore off she knew she’d be sore, but for now, Rey was happy exactly where she was, being pulled into position against his naked chest. 

“I believe you owe me two answers,” she yawned, snuggling in against him and feeling the laugh emanating from his chest.

“Rest up, angel. We’ve got the whole weekend.”

00000

Shuffling from the kitchen to the section of her cabin that could be called a living room, Rey carefully set down the steaming hot mug of fresh coffee to settle herself on the sofa. The TV light flickered through the dull room, not that she was paying attention to whatever was on. 

Pining wasn’t something Rey was used to. Longing for something she couldn’t have had always seemed like a pointless waste of energy, yet here she was, ready to wrap herself in a blanket and channel hop to distract herself from the reality of her situation.

She grabbed the remote, flicking through the channels absently.

It’s not like they could work. The arrested cult figurehead and the deputy who slapped the cuffs on was hardly a fairytale for the ages. She sipped her coffee, her eyes staring ahead at the TV. It was a betrayal to her friends, to her badge and even if somehow they got past the fact it was the worst idea in history, he was still in prison.

No, the reality could never be the same as sitting in that room together, in the odd little world they made for themselves. Rey wasn’t stupid, she knew there was too much stacked against them but still, logic didn’t stop her from finally admitting that she missed him. 

She threw down the control, the device bouncing on the cushions as she settled herself into the old check blanket to watch whatever trash she’d landed on. No sooner had she gotten comfortable, a sharp knock sounded at the door. Kicking her legs in a tangle of fleece, Rey grumbled under her breath.

“This better be fucking good,” she muttered.

Still growling, she unhooked the latch and turned the key, grabbing the handle to pull open the door and scowl at whoever dared interrupt her questionable mood.

“Can I hel- Jesus fucking Christ!”

Standing there, his face half illuminated by the Montana moonlight was the man himself, as if wishful thinking and sheer pathetic, needy energy had manifested him to her front door. 

“Ta-da!” he grinned, standing with his arms outstretched. 

“John?!” she spluttered, “What in the hell are you doing here?!”

Had he escaped? It wasn’t completely impossible, he was a man of many resources. The prison issue uniform she’d grown used to seeing him in was gone, replaced with dark blue jeans and a black sweater she just knew wasn’t from a Walmart.

“Aren’t you going to invite me in? I don’t think I should be standing around out here in the open,”

It was hardly open. The path to Rey’s door was surrounded by trees, her cabin nestled away off the beaten path of the main road towards Falls End, but still, she grabbed the front of his sweater to pull him inside and slam the door.

“John, what are you doing here?” she demanded, “Did...did you  _ escape _ ?” 

While Rey was still in stunned disbelief, John had begun to wander, looking around the modest cabin with interest.

“Cute place, deputy. Very you,”

“Answer me!” Rey snapped, her arms crossing tightly. Had she been in uniform, the effect might have been a little more intimidating. Dressed in an old NYPD sweater, jersey shorts and a pair of fluffy socks didn’t quite have the same effect. 

“Escaped,” John snorted dismissively, “How very  _ Shawshank _ . I didn’t escape, my dear, I was released,”

“That’s impossible!” she replied, her face completely mystified, “The things you were in for...there’s no way you’ve been released,”

“Rey, haven’t you learned yet that nothing is impossible when you’re me?” he gloated.

“Or when you’re rich and white and have friends in high places,” Rey muttered, rolling her eyes.

“Neither here nor there. Come on, you can’t say you’re not pleased to see me,” he said, closing the gap between them. He gently grasped her chin, encouraging her to look at him, “Didn’t you miss me?”

Rey sighed, trying to avoid his piercing gaze, chewing the inside of her cheek. Nothing made sense. The longing she felt was easier to reason away with logic when he wasn’t standing right there with his charming smile and big blue eyes. John tried to duck down, to meet her eyes like it was a game.

“No?” he teased in his familiar way, his nose tracing her temple, “Because I missed you…”

The touch was hypnotic, her whole body softening as he swooped forward to catch her lips, his tongue tracing the seam of her mouth, encouraging her to give him more as she moaned into the kiss. The voice in her head, that sensible voice who knew this was a bad idea was still screaming at her to stop, to push him away, but with his arms around her, the voice was no match for his presence. 

The heat grew between them, building like a pressure cooker. She could feel his sharp inhale as she was pushed back against the wall with urgency, hands pulling her close to his body while pawing at her shorts. Rey gasped with a smile on her face, his hand diving below her waistband to rub her through her panties.

“Show me,” she moaned without shame, “Show me how much you missed me.”

His movements were frantic, pulling at his belt until his jeans and underwear pooled over his boots, Rey freeing a leg from her shorts. She clung to him tightly, her head tipping back against the wall as he grabbed her leg over his hip, thrusting into her with one motion. His head tucked against her shoulder, he grunted with every push of his hips, hammering her roughly against the wall.

“Fuck...oh fuck,” Rey cried, “I...I’m gonna…”

“Show. Don’t tell,” John panted, never letting his pace slow, desperate to give them both release.

It was needy, carnal and he knew from the way she was pulsing around him that she was close. Her thigh tensed, her stomach clenching as she cried out his name. He wasn’t going to last any longer, her pleasure pushing him over the edge as he came with a long, low growl. His forehead resting on the wall next to her, the only sound in the cabin was their own ragged breathing. 

Coming to their senses, Rey winced as he released her leg, her body aching and sated from the rough treatment. They righted themselves in silence, pulling their dishevelled clothes back on. She didn’t want to look at him, her cheeks flushed as she scowled at the floor.

“I think I’m falling in love with you,” he said sincerely, breaking the silence but so quiet she was sure she’d misheard.

“Don’t say that,” She shook her head, finally turning to him, “You...can’t say things like that,”

“Why not? It’s the truth,” John said seriously, “There hasn’t been a single night in that cell I wasn’t thinking of you.”

“Really?” Her voice sounded small and hopeful, everything that the situation didn’t need. Even if it were true, it didn’t change where they stood and she cursed her lack of self-control. What they’d just done made things so much more difficult.

“I wouldn’t lie to  _ you _ ,” he said, reaching for her, “As soon as I got free, I came straight here...to see you,”

“For sex?” 

“For  _ you _ !” he insisted, pulling her into his arms, “Rey, this is real,”

“But it’s not real, it can’t be. John, even if you did somehow get released, you can’t stay here,” She sighed, “You’ll be killed. Literally killed,”

For the first time since he’d arrived, Rey saw uncertainty in his eyes, the smile falling from his face. He sighed, letting her go to pace the floor in front of her, her body suddenly cold in his absence.

“You’re right,” he admitted, “I can’t stay here, but...we can work something out! I can find somewhere to base myself, come and see you once I’m settled. Or you can come and visit me.”

It was an option but still a risky one for both of them. The minute he was spotted back in Hope County his life would be in danger and there was a chance he could easily be tracked to her home. There wasn’t much of an excuse that would allow her to travel to see him as often as she’d like. Long-distance wasn’t what she wanted with him. 

Rey bit her lip, fidgeting with her hands as she thought. Fighting her feelings seemed useless, and if she wanted them to be together, something was going to have to change.

“You know, um, maybe I’ll take a trip...go away for a while,” Rey said awkwardly, “The Berkshires are really nice...might be a good change of scenery or something. You...you could come with me. I mean, if you wanted to...it’s not set or anything,”

John’s grin was wide and bright, his eyes sparkling again as her cheeks flamed.

“Why, deputy, are you asking me to run away with you?” He asked, “However will I make my parole check?”

“Oh God, forget it,” Rey groaned, burying her red hot face in her hands, “Forget I said anything. It’s a dumb idea!” 

She felt his hands wrap around her wrists, pulling her hands away so he could look at her properly. He was still smiling and she couldn’t blame him. It was crazy that she felt ready to give up her life in Hope County for him, wasn’t it? Then again, he’d always been a focal point in her life since she’d moved there in some way or another. Thinking back on their history, suddenly just leaving everything behind seemed almost sane.

John nodded.

“Start packing, leave the rest up to me.”


	8. Weird Uncle Joe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's nothing worse when you're 13 and you're being sent to spend time with family you barely know. Except when it's the end of the world and your Uncle is a religious icon.

“But Dad…”

“Don’t start with that ‘but Dad’ stuff. It’s not going to change my mind!”

Violet had never seen the Seed ranch before the collapse. Her parents had of course told her all about how it used to look, explaining that the main sitting room with the fireplace was the only part largely untouched. She’d grown up on stories of the before, of how things used to look, learning about what girls her age used to do.

Her father, John, sat back in an old armchair next to the open fire, an unyielding expression on his face as Violet tried her best to change his mind. The world had been forever altered by nuclear fallout but some family matters would always remain the same.

Like being asked to visit relatives you rarely spent time with.

“Mom?”

“Sorry, Vi, but I’m with your father on this one.”

“But it’s not fair!” Violet whined, flipping her long, thick hair out of her face as she threw herself back into the nearby sofa, folding her arms and scowling.

John sat forward to lean on his knees, looking at his only daughter patiently.

“What do we always say?”

“That Uncle Joseph is weird…”

“No, what else do we say?” he corrected. Violet sighed, her demeanour softening.

“There’s nothing more important than family,” she recited dutifully, “But there’s nothing to do down at New Eden and he’ll make me talk to Ethan!”

“I know, I know that they have slightly different beliefs from us and they live differently, but they 

our family and out here that counts for something,” John said, “Remember I told you about Joseph and I? How we disagreed about leaving the bunker when you were a baby?”

“Yeah?”

“We might have disagreed about how to live but that doesn’t change our bond. Joseph, Jacob and even Faith. We are all still a family. Joseph and Faith spend time visiting us, don’t you think we owe them the same courtesy?” 

Violet sighed again. She hated it when her father made such reasonable points. It was painfully obvious where she inherited her debating skills from.

“You guys aren’t even going to be there!”

“Grasping at straws, honey,” Rey smiled, perching on the arm of John’s chair, “We will get there a few days after you with Jacob. You’re just going ahead so you can spend some quality time,”

“He’s going to baptise me…”

“Nobody is baptising you,” John said curtly, “Violet, sometimes we need to do things that we don’t want to do. That’s life. You’re going to go to New Eden and you’re going to spend some time with the other side of your family.”

His tone was gentle, as loving as a father should be, but Violet knew John and nothing he’d told her was a request. She settled for the only response a thirteen-year-old could have.

“Urgh. Fine.”

00000

If there was a positive about travelling to New Eden, it was that at least she got to see some of the landscape. 

Violet had seen pictures, faded memories of Falls End, the Spread Eagle completely gone and the church just a crumbling memory. She was travelling with Marcus, Sarah and their children. Her and Jonah sat listening to Marcus as he told them stories of the old Hope County on the way, pointing out landmarks that didn’t exist anymore.

It gave Violet a strange sense of longing and loss. The old world was something she would never have in common with her parents. She loved them, she wanted for nothing if it were in their power to give, but it hurt when they told stories of the past, of something she would never be part of. 

They stopped the old, rickety van just before the broken bridge.

“Alright kids, everyone out. We’re walking from here,” Marcus said, tapping the roof of the car to emphasize his point.

“Why?” His daughter, Sophie, asked.

“You know the drill, they don’t allow any kind of tech in New Eden. Now, this is their home and we need to be respectful,” Marcus said, “Does everyone understand?”

The chorus of mumbled replies from the children in his care was satisfactory enough. Together, they crossed the wooden bridge towards the large gates. It was so strange to Violet how different a place could look. Prosperity was hardly master craftsmanship, but it was clear to see the difference modern tools had made to the design of the place.

The gates opened. Marcus, Sarah and their family were met with smiles from friends, from the people they had served Eden’s Gate with, who lived in the bunker until their choices had separated them. Joseph and Faith passed, greeting Violet first.

“Violet! It is so wonderful to see you,” Faith gushed, “Look how much you’ve grown!”

“Hi, Aunt Faith,” Violet smiled bashfully. Joseph was standing next to her.

He looked older than she remembered. His hair, still pulled back into a familiar bun, seemed thinner, greying and brittle with age. The lines on his face were deeper, but his eyes remained as compelling as ever.

“Violet, I’m so pleased you could visit us,” he said politely, placing a friendly hand on her shoulder, “I trust your parents are well?”

“Yeah, they’re great. They said they’re going to be here in a few days,” She said. The silence they fell into felt strained, neither knowing what to say past a pleasant hello. “So, uh, where’s Ethan?” 

“Ethan is completing his studies,” Joseph said, “He will join us later for dinner after you’re all settled. Come, let us show you to your rooms.”

It was just so foreign to her. Violet had been to New Eden before, many times, but it always seemed like a different world inside their gates. Where Prosperity had generators and electricity, New Eden had nothing except rustic torches and open flame. The sun was beginning to set, casting the whole place in an orange glow. Awkwardly she waved to those who said hello, people who had known her father as ‘The Baptist’.

They followed Joseph through New Eden, towards the large hut at the top of the hill, Joseph and Faith all the while explaining the improvements they had made since the last outsiders had visited. Violet supposed it was interesting. It was definitely impressive given their lack of repurposed and modern tools.

Inside the hut was rustic. Animal skins littered the floor and the beds, candles lighting the space and adding warmth at the same time. Violet smiled to herself, dropping her backpack on her cot. The bed was softer than it looked, a handmade mattress filled with bird feathers. That was at least something positive.

The only thing that threw her was the portrait of Joseph hanging proudly for all to see. Violet wandered from the sleeping area towards the altar, squinting at the painting. It was old, faded over time but somehow lovingly restored as best they could. He looked younger on the canvas, his serious expression making her feel uneasy as if his eyes were following her around the room.

“It’s a pretty striking painting, isn’t it?” Violet glanced at Faith as she approached, the woman smiling up at the painting fondly, “You don’t need to be embarrassed, I come in here often just to look at it.”

“Uncle Joseph looks...angry,” Violet said, finally able to settle on a word for his expression. 

“Joseph carried a very heavy burden all those years ago,” Faith said, “He was a leader with so many of us looking to him for guidance,”

“Would it have killed him to smile?” 

“He smiles more often now,” Faith laughed lightly, “But you should have seen him back then, Violet. He had us hanging on his every word. So charismatic,”

“Is that why you all went with him out of the bunker instead of my Dad?”

Faith flinched, almost an imperceptible movement that may have been missed had Violet not been looking right at her. Quickly, she righted herself, fixing the pleasant smile back on her face.

“We followed Joseph because he had been right and he had always protected us,” she explained, “So, when it came to his decision, it felt like the right one.”

Violet was about to protest. Her mother had told her about how Joseph had ended up in John’s bunker, how her father had taken on the day to day running of their underground home. Faith’s version of events felt wrong to her, like all the hard work her side of the family had done to survive the collapse wasn’t important. As her mouth opened, Faith spoke again.

“Come on, dinner is going to be ready soon. Let’s take our place,”

Silently, Violet followed her aunt from the hut.

00000

Dinner reminded her of home.

Just like Prosperity, everyone sat together and shared their food. They spoke about their day, they laughed and joked. It was cozy and comforting. Violet didn’t even mind being sat next to her cousin, Ethan. 

Ethan had always been an intense child and one who clearly relished being the son of Joseph Seed. Being treated as someone special from the minute he was born, it was no wonder he had an air of entitlement around him. Violet stifled a snigger, watching the 8 year old demand things be brought to him. 

“Ethan, what do we say when we ask for food?” Joseph sighed, sounding more exhausted than stern. Ethan scowled at him.

“...please,” he answered reluctantly, pouting as he did. It seemed satisfactory enough, a plate of roasted potatoes being placed in front of him. Ethan greedily piled more onto his plate.

Violet made small talk as best she could. They might have been her family, but she didn’t really 

them. Not like her parents or her Uncle Jacob, or even Marcus and Sarah. They saw her every day, they’d watched her grow up. 

Her father would say there was nothing more important than family, but how could that be? Why was blood more important than others who had proven their love and loyalty?

Violet frowned down at her plate, lost in her own thoughts as the dinner continued around her.

00000

The sun had set hours ago, leaving the strange turquoise streaks in the sky to shine among the stars on a blanket of darkness. Violet loved the night sky. She loved to stare at the lights above and relish the wide open space she had the privilege of enjoying. It made her feel small knowing how big the world was and the prospect of all the possibilities that offered excited her.

At least here at New Eden she wasn’t subject to bed time. The hour was late, Ethan and the other children had long gone to bed, but Violet wasn’t tired, content to sit under the stars and watch the fire embers smoulder.

“Do you mind if I join you?”

The familiar voice breaking the peace startled her, turning to see her Uncle walking towards her with a blanket wrapped around his shoulders and another in his hand.

“Sure,” Violet said hoping that she was able to hide how awkward she was feeling, anxiety pooling in her stomach as she tried to think of things to say. Joseph opened the wool blanket, draping it over her shoulders.

“Your mother would never forgive me if I let you get cold,” he said kindly.

“I think it’s my dad you’d need to worry about more,” Violet sniggered, but Joseph shook his head.

“Hmm. You might have a point,” he said, “Although, I do remember Rey was always the one with separation anxiety. Any time she had to leave you she would panic, even if I was there,”

“You were there?” 

“Yes, I used to look after you often when we lived in the bunker. You were very fond of drawing on my things,” he said evenly. Violet chewed a fingernail, looking back to the dying fire.

“I don’t remember that,” she muttered.

“I’d be surprised if you did. You were very young,” he said, “And many things have changed,” he added quietly.

Silence fell between then, punctuated by the occasional snap from the fire. It wasn’t awkward, Violet realised. 

“You don’t talk much,” she said suddenly. Her impertinent comment brought about another first when Joseph snorted an undignified laugh.

“I have spent my whole life talking,” he chuckled, “Over the years I’ve come to appreciate the benefits of silence. If there is nothing meaningful to say...maybe it’s best we don’t say it?”

Violet nodded her understanding.

“Uncle Joseph, can I ask you a question?”

“By all means,” he agreed, looking down at his niece quizzically. Violet chewed her lip. She knew what she wanted to say, the questions that could clearly only be answered by a grown up, but wording them was another matter.

“Dad says that nothing matters more than family...but I don’t get it. If that’s true then why do you and Aunt Faith live here? Why don’t we all live together?”

Joseph took a deep breath, his brow furrowing with thought.

“Violet, your father and I...we believe different things,” he began carefully, “Family is important, but so is standing up for what you believe in and sticking to your principles. Do you understand?”

He could see her thinking, blinking rapidly as she frowned thoughtfully processing what he’d just told her. Violet was a bright young girl, but it was a large concept to explain to a 13 year old. She sighed, looking despondent.

“I think I get it,” She eventually said, “I just don’t see why being related makes you more important than...I dunno...Marcus or Sarah. I see them everyday!”

She didn’t miss the flash of hurt in Joseph’s eyes or his wounded expression. Violet immediately regretted her comment. It was the truth, but that didn’t make her feel any less guilty. Joseph nodded slowly.

“You’re right, it doesn’t,” He replied, “Family...is more than just your blood. It’s who makes you feel safe. The people who make you feel at home,”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make you mad…”

“I’m not mad,” Joseph assured her, “I’m…”

Uncomfortable was what he wanted to say but no words came. Joseph had spent a long time coming to terms with his choices, repressing the negative feelings that came with them. Now with his wide eyed niece staring at him with her innocent questions, only wanting to understand the world around her, it was beginning to return like an itch too deep to scratch.

“It’s late. I think it’s time you went to bed. We can talk more in the morning,”

“But…”

“Bed, Violet.”

Violet huffed as she stood, grumbling all the way back to the hut, leaving Joseph to his thoughts.

00000

It was too early for whatever was shaking Violet awake.

Dawn was barely breaking as she opened her bleary eyes, squinting at the figure leaning over her bed to try and recognise the silhouette.

“Uncle Joseph?”

“Get up and come with me,” he said quietly so as not to wake the others. Violet groaned, untangling herself from her blankets to follow her Uncle who had already begun to walk outside. 

The morning was beautiful with the sun beginning to appear above the horizon, the dew on the grass sparkling. Violet may have appreciated it more if she knew what the hell was going on.

“Where are we going?” she asked sullenly.

“You’ll see,” 

It was all too ominous for Violet’s liking as she followed him through New Eden, through a larger archway. They seemed to be heading to the water.

“Are you going to baptise me?” she asked.

Joseph stopped walking, turning to her with a perplexed expression.

“Do you...want to be baptised?” He asked. Violet shook her head, “Then no, that’s not what we’re doing this morning,”

They walked inside the boathouse, the place her father told her had once been the church of Eden’s Gate. It seemed impossible to imagine now, seeing the building reduced to nothing more than a dilapidated shack. Joseph walked over to the table and picked up an old book, the white leather tarnished and the gold faded almost to nothing.

“I wanted to show you this,” he said, opening the book where he’d marked. The pages were covered in crude drawings and squiggles of brightly coloured crayon, “This was my personal copy of all my teachings. Can you guess who did this to its pages?”

“Me?”

“It was you,” he confirmed fondly, “You were much younger then, of course. Sometimes I still look at this book and I think of you. You 

my family, Violet and I’ve been doing a poor job as your Uncle these past years. Perhaps in my...enthusiasm to see New Eden become what I had had envisioned, I let other important responsibilities fall. I’m sorry for that,”

Violet blinked up at him, nodding slowly. It was a lot of information to process so early in the morning but she appreciated it. It was obvious how hard he was trying. She reached out to touch the ruined pages, amazed that he’d even bothered to keep it after everything.

“I thought we could do something together before breakfast,” He continued, closing the book and putting it back on the table. 

He walked back out of the boat house, Violet following him to a small clearing. Sacks stuffed thick with grass had been set up on frames, crude targets drawn on the front.

“Tell me, have you had a lot of experience with weapons?” Joseph asked.

“Mom and Dad have taught me some basics. Uncle Jake has taught me how to shoot but I’m now allowed anything of my own. They think I might get hurt,” she said.

Joseph wandered what looked like a repurposed gun rack, pulling a bow and a handmade quiver from where they hung. He handed the bow to Violet, the young girl's eyes wide as she accepted the weapon. It was more ornate than the bows she’d seen at New Eden. The wood had been sanded smooth with intricate carvings along the sides. The quiver was made of hand sewn leather, animal hide still soft on the outside.

“I think you’re old enough and sensible enough for something of your own,” Joseph smiled, “This used to be mine so it might be a little big for you, but I’m sure you’ll grow into it. Using a bow takes patience, precision. It’s an honest weapon.”

“That’s what Marcus says about his hunting knife,” Violet added, still inspecting the beautiful bow.

“Marcus always has been a good man,” Joseph replied, “I’ll teach you how to use it and how to make the arrows if you promise that you’ll take care of it.” Violet beamed up at her Uncle, nodding enthusiastically, “Good, let’s get started.”

00000

“John, will you please stop complaining? You promised that you’d set a good example for Violet!”

John had been complaining about their trip to New Eden for over an hour. Rey loved her husband, she’d stood by him through the end of the world and beyond but even her patience could only take so much.

“I know I did but Vi isn’t here to listen to me complain so I’m not setting a bad example,” he reasoned, pouting behind the steering wheel of the old rebuilt truck. From the backseat, Jacob chuckled.

“Thought you’d have learned to block that shit out by now, Rey,” Jacob commented, “John complaining is like white noise. Sometimes it even sends me off to sleep,”

“Very funny,” John drawled, “You have to admit, New Eden is 

what Joseph sold to us way back and it’s weird when we go there. I can’t believe we used to blindly follow his words. The people are still like that, they still treat us like...like…”

“Like heralds? Come on, you and I both know that for us it was more about keeping our family together than following the will of God or whatever,” Jacob shrugged, “Besides, think of it this way, if we hadn’t...we’d all be dead now. Besides, maybe those people still need something to believe in.”

John nodded thoughtfully. His eldest brother did have a point.

“Still, I understand why Violet didn’t want to go.” 

The old vehicle pulled to a stop, Rey noticing the other van Marcus had driven still sitting there. As a group they crossed the bridge, the large gates opening with a welcoming party waiting. John smiled to the people, some of which he still recognised from his time as the Eden’s Gate baptist. Now he was someone different, their praise and adoration felt uncomfortable.

“Mom! Dad!”

Violet shouted from the top of the path, running towards them and almost knocking John to the ground as she hugged him.

“Oh my God, Dad, it’s been so cool! Uncle Joseph gave me his bow and he taught me how to shoot it and make arrows. Then I got to go out hunting with him and Marcus and some of the other hunters and I killed a boar on my first try!”

The sudden onslaught of words from their child's mouth caught John and Rey off guard, her sentences running together so quickly she barely drew breath. At least it seemed positive, the huge smile on her face and her rosy complexion indicating she was in a far better mood than when she’d left prosperity days ago.

“Anyway, Uncle Joseph said he was going to take me and Ethan to the broken dam and I was going to learn how to make my own leather and more about tracking, so can I stay another week? Please, please, 

?”

John and Rey looked at one another, still astonished by the change when Joseph finally approached.

“Uh, well, if your Uncle Joseph says it’s alright with him then it’s alright with us,” Rey smiled, the pair looking at Joseph.

“Of course it’s alright. There’s nothing more important than family.”

  
  
  
  
  



End file.
